PART 1
Mana liquid, huh? Inwardly I thought.
"I'll definitely do more research on this to understand its other applications," thinking to myself now, turning my gaze from my mother back to my father. "So all we have to do is wait for the paper strips to work their magic?" I asked.
My father nodded. "Yes, I got them a while back at the academy when you two were just born." He then began to explain the importance of the strips, using his fingers to emphasize his points. "It's not necessarily magic, Astraga. What the strips are doing is more about a chemical reaction and years of studying mana at play."
"Just keep in mind," my father continued, "this method is specific to Manyblood. Other kingdoms have their own ways of determining mana types which give more accurate measurements than this, and that knowledge is a closely guarded secret among their elites."
The secrecy felt like a real problem to me. Coming from a world with the internet, it was hard to adjust to a place so guarded with its information. I sighed, realizing just how much I missed and appreciated the easy access to knowledge.
"Why is everything about mana kept so secret?" I asked, turning my attention to my father. My mother, who no longer had any trace of tears on her face, scooted closer to him.
My father paused, then responded, "Well, think about it. If you had a method that made you powerful, would you just share it with everyone?"
He had no idea that the world I came from was overflowing with information on every possible topic. You could learn how to get stronger financially, physically, even spiritually. There was advice on everything from building a business to working out, and yes, even tips on "how to last longer in bed." The internet had it all.
But I knew if I tried to explain that to my father, he wouldn't truly understand that way of thinking.
Based on the world he grew up in, my father understood one simple logic: secrecy was power. Each kingdom, including our own, held its knowledge close. It became clear that if we hadn't had mana users for parents and if my father, a student of manomancy, hadn't shared his knowledge I would have been completely lost.
He then directed our attention to one of the bowls Astraya's. "These are no ordinary papers," he explained excitedly. "They can absorb water without becoming soggy, even in a strong liquid like this purification water. Just as your mother reminded me, the wood from the Arcantree is specially suited for this."
He pointed to a strip that had already begun to filter the mana liquid. Each strip was divided into four distinct segments by a thin line. Father explained that mana was officially measured in percentages, up to 100, according to a system called the "Thamipus Standard of Measurement." Each segment represented a level of mana proficiency:
First segment (25%): General or average mana users.
Second segment (50%): Above-average mana users.
Third segment (75%): Advanced-grade mana users.
Fourth segment (100%): Special-grade mana users.
He clarified that this was not a replacement for what we had learned before, but a tool to help measure and understand mana and core behavior. This process, he explained, drastically reduced the time it took for people to learn about their cores what types of mana they could absorb, how much of each, and which was their dominant type. "This tiny process we're witnessing helps reduce the amount of hours people took to actually know the behavior of their cores, what type of mana they could absorb, then how much of each mana they could absorb, and then figure out which was the most dominant mana type they could absorb, as this usually took years to understand."
"So, what do you think, kids? Pretty cool, right?" he winked, clearly proud of the information that manomancy offered.
It was all starting to make sense, but a new question arose: once we knew our cores, how would we learn to use them? I hadn't seen any books on manifesting mana, and even the ones Dad had given us barely touched on it. We were in a secluded place, after all. Who would even be able to teach us
Just as he finished, Father suddenly stood up, a look of urgency on his face. "I need to use the restroom," he said, practically rushing out of the room. I doubted he was just going to the toilet, but before I could dwell on it, my thoughts shifted to everything that had happened. The sour juice, the awakening cores, and my mother's healing magic. I wanted to ask her about mana and channeling. She was clearly a powerful mana user, but what was her core type? She had been the one casting spells and manipulating mana while Father, a Quad-Affinity user, had only explained the process.
Before I could ask, a bright light engulfed the bowls, forming a large, humming sphere. It pulsed with energy, the colors shifting from red to blue to green and then back to white. It looked like a thousand fireflies trapped in a jar. Was the reaction already beginning? Was my mother the source of this blinding energy, and was it meant to be a part of the process?
PART2
"Don't worry," Mother said. "This light helps reduce any form of inaccuracy, as it isolates the reaction about to take place within the bowl so external mana can't alter the result."
"Oh, that's actually a well-thought-out process," I said.
Astraya, surprised by it as well, asked, "Mother, were you the one that created the light covering the bowl?" She genuinely wanted to know how Mother did it.
"No, dear, this is just a natural process, not something I can cast a spell on," Mother said.
The whole room was weirdly quiet, mostly filled with hopes, as Astraya really hoped she was a specialist. And me? Anything but a Quad-Affinity would be good. To me, a Dual-Affinity felt more robust. What if you faced someone who could counter your specialization? Then you would be done for. Mother, who always used cleaning to ease her boredom or tension, was already looking for something to clean.
I felt it was time to ask Mother the question she had developed a skill in evading. "Mother, what type of core do you have?" I asked, knowing that she would definitely not want to talk about it, but I was trying my luck today.
"What? Why are you asking?" she said with a nervous laugh, dropping what she was holding in a clumsy manner.
"Play along, Astraya." I gave a slight nudge and opened up the side of my lips just enough to make her understand the situation and my intentions.
Astraya, now understanding, immediately went into action. "Mommy, please tell us. We're going to know our mana, you know, we need someone amazing like Mommy to explain it to us."
Mother replied, "But your fath..."
I pressed further, knowing that talking about the "authority" would motivate her. "Mother, I thought Father said we must become stronger to defeat or stand a chance against the authority."
"Yes, Mommy, please...!" Astraya pressed even more, as she was a master at this kind of situation.
Sigh. "You know what? Seeing as you guys are almost about to know your cores and affinity, I feel it's about time I tell you a bit about myself." I was definitely surprised, as no matter how much we asked, she usually always shut us down.
Mother, proudly placing a hand on her chest as her eyes gazed upwards, said, "Well, firstly, my core is a triple affinity... blue (water), red (fire), and white (air) mana... as I listed blue mana being the one I have the most affinity for."
"Oh, I'm sure you aren't aware, but blue mana, which has strong manifestations of water magic, is mainly responsible for healing, as it uses water's life-giving properties to speed the recovery of wounds and illnesses."
Astraya, more intrigued, asked, "What if I became a specialist in fire? Would I be able to heal myself?"
"Well, we do have mages who specialize in healing, but each mana type has a specific style of healing. Water magic is still the most advanced, as each mana type has its strengths and weaknesses," Mother said.
Mother then added, enlightening us as she said, "Mana types, in simple terms fire, water, earth, and air all have areas that they dominate. It all depends on your affinities."
"So you know about channeling mana, Mother, why don't you teach us right after we know our cores?" I asked.
She then thought about it for a second and realized it was indeed a good idea, although Mother's initial plan with Father was for us to live a normal life, and then at age ten, we would be ready to start training with top masters in Manybloods. Father was ready to save money and then get us to masters who were filled with knowledge of our respective mana core affinities. It appears that knowledge about mana and abilities were like trade secrets that families and schools kept well-guarded from public eyes. It made sense how the knowledge to awaken a core wasn't available, which is why most people went to Manybloods in search of it. It also made me realize that it's not as if Manybloods didn't know how to have mana users who had access to dragonhood, as the knowledge was being safeguarded. This was an interesting point, and the best action was to get as much information about mana as possible and if possible teach it to us.
Due to our consistent begging and pleading, Mother finally relented. She first said she was from the side branch of a family clan called the Ashborns. They were mages skilled in the art of seals and barriers.
As Mother was about to continue, both lights started to flicker from the bowls. It was about time for the spheres of light to dwindle.
Astraya's bowl was revealed as mine still took a bit longer. As Dad walked up to the bowl, which was now ready, Mother decided to hold our hands tightly, especially Astraya's, as the anticipation was killing her. This was a lottery, and nobody wanted the short straw.
With an excited tone, Father said, "No way, Astraya...?" as he held up the strip of paper. No one was able to see it, as Astraya's eyes were closed, hoping for the worst. "You're a specialist! Congratulations!" He came, hugging and lifting her up in the air.
Mother asked, "What mana type is she a specialist for?"
Dad, still lifting Astraya with one arm as they celebrated, replied, "White mana!" He was so excited.
Mother said, "Oh my! We can definitely get you a teacher from Manyblood, right, honey?" she asked.
Father replied, "Yes, anything to make them get stronger." Placing her down out of the excitement only two things first was was to find an Aeromancer (air magic) secondly would the money i have be enough to get a great teacher for us?