PART 1.
"So, Father, how does one grow a mana beast?" I asked. as mana beast had the ability to boost their master another source of mana. I'd just thought of something. "Since mana beasts have cores, they'd most likely need to know how to absorb mana. But using mana requires thoughts and pathways, right? Unless... does that mean mana beasts are sentient creatures?" I decided it was best to ask him all of this.
He caught me off guard, as if he knew my silence would lead to a flood of questions. "Astraga, just look for a moment," he said, holding up a hand. "You can ask all your questions later." He directed my attention to the beautiful pond, which had an internal glow of its own. Lights that seeped through cracks in the cave ceiling cast a beautiful reflection on the walls. Inside the pond, it was clear that two different species of fish existed: the koi, which, from my knowledge, is a breed of the other fish present the carp.
Placing his hands on my shoulders, Father began to open up about his personal ambitions. "This fish pond has been one of my deepest desires, you know. I've been working on it for over four years now, ever since I left my family in search of my own freedom." He said he had always wanted to be known as more than the unwanted son of the Fula family. He had always had something to prove, feeling like he was being punished for something he knew nothing about and treated like a second-class citizen in his own home. "I wanted to prove to my father, especially my older brother in fact, all of them wrong. Being known as the child of a concubine isn't a nice title, son."
He also said things got worse when he discovered he had a quad core, but everything changed when the king created a new opportunity. People without mana talents could study a topic about mana development, which had many people raising their eyebrows. "The new king, Josephro, was changing a lot of things. I was sixteen then when I decided to go and study that at the academy." Ever since that day, he had always wanted to be known as one of the best manomancers. "Sigh, that in itself isn't an easy task, my son."
He then pointed to the pond once more, believing that one of these fish had the potential to become a mana beast. "And if I'm right about a fish having the capability to become a dragon, I might finally get my noble medallion."
Noble medallion? Intrigued.
He explained that the noble medallion was the highest honor one could receive, now even for those who studied manomancy. This award was typically reserved for people who had accomplished great feats, usually mana users, with rare exceptions like Thamipus, the great professor.
"The award would change a person's life, my son... given directly by the king, this would elevate your social status," he said. He also mentioned that the recipient would be guaranteed a spot among the kingdom's decision-makers.
He was clearly bitter about his family, muttering in disdain, "I'll show those Fula bastards." I had never seen Father express emotions like this before; he had always been a jovial person. How bad could the Fulas be? Come to think of it, no relatives had ever visited us. Anaya seemed to be more part of the family than any Fula could be..
I turned my gaze to the pond and the school of fish swimming within it. "So how exactly are you going to turn this pond full of fish into mana beasts?" I asked.
"Well, first, hoping for a mana beast would be an impossible task. Since I'll be leaving in a few days, I'll leave you in charge, Astraga, hahaha."
Father couldn't be serious. He wanted to leave his four-year-old son in charge of these fish? I knew nothing about fishery. Well, I guess this was for the best, as I would be able to see for myself how they might develop into a mana beast.
"I will teach you everything, just like how your mother leaves me notes. I'll do the same now. Let me fill you in on the current situation of my research...Well we must first see how well they recover against cuts inflicted by dragon magic tools, even if it's just one of these 25 fish. That's the basic requirement," he said, gesturing to a sleek, rubbery-looking knife on the wall. It was clearly shaped for inflicting tiny injuries.
PART 2
"What a weird-looking knife," I said. It looked more rubbery than metallic, but its craftsmanship was sophisticated. "How was that knife created, Father, and why does healing from dragon magic determine if the fish would be a mana beast?" I asked, moving closer to the pond to see if any of the fish had cuts that hadn't healed.
"Well, dragon magic is a good way to test if the animal you're about to train is worth it," he said, walking over to a few chests. "These boxes," he explained, "contain the gold I'll need to take to Manyblood to get you a surprise and Astraya a teacher."
The boxes held a substantial amount of gold. How could Father have possibly gained so much money? I knew he was from a rich family, but was he that rich? He seemed to read my mind. "Don't worry about the gold," he said with a laugh. "I'm an author, remember?" He explained that he earned the money from the sales of the books Astraya and I read. Since knowledge in this world was heavily guarded, not many people had access to information about mana and affinity.
"Found it!" Father exclaimed with a grin. "A good manomancer always writes his research down. Here, this book will help you understand the whole evolutionary process of mana beasts. It has everything you'll need to know." The book had no title, unlike his others, and its cover felt rough and hard. He dusted himself off after crouching in a tight space to get the book.
"The knife was made from part of a mana beast," he said. "It's important to know that mana beasts are the foundation for awakening to the first stage of dragon magic." He then explained that every animal that becomes a mana beast is able to absorb any of the four mana types. Just like with humans, a specialist core in a mana beast means more power. This confirmed my prior curiosity that mana beasts could be sentient creatures.
"So, Father, you said channeling mana was all about the caster's understanding. How would a mana beast perform such magic? Wouldn't that mean they are able to think about what they want, you know, talk?"
"Some mana beasts have that ability, son, but not all of them can speak the human tongue," he replied. "As for how mana beasts control their mana, they possess a higher level of understanding of intent magic casting, and some have a combination of will magic casting. Your mother should be explaining that to Astraya as we speak."
He advised me that it was best to see it for myself with Mother, who had a more preferred knowledge of the subject. He then changed the topic back to mana beasts, explaining that the words "mana beast" and "ascendant beast" were interchangeable, as they meant the same thing. He said that when an ascendant beast begins to absorb mana, its physical features change over time.
Lost in thought, Father moved around the pond, checking which fish had healed properly from the dragon magic. "Now, what makes Dragonhood so difficult, Astraga, is that each ascendant beast has its own individual stages of evolution depending on its species. The main animals known to have dragon seeds are known to heal from dragon magic-inflicted wounds at various degrees. These animals are called the Royal Path: snakes, turtles, lizards, and toads. These are the animals capable of becoming dragons once they develop into mana beasts, and each kingdom specializes in a particular animal."
"So you can see, there are only four known royal paths to Dragonhood, and knowledge on each of these paths is difficult to acquire." Father then remarked that the four royal animals weren't the only way to Dragonhood, but the alternatives usually ended in undesirable outcomes called "false dragons."
He was now in full-on lecture mode. "Even if you get lucky enough to find a mana beast, my son, that in itself requires a deep knowledge to move to the next stage, all the way to the true dragon stage that is, if you're not training a false dragon," he sighed again. "It's also possible for the royal animals to have false dragons within them as well. Some beast seeds don't develop properly over time toward becoming true dragons, but rather false dragons. They don't look entirely like dragons, but they aren't quite one either. Many have failed to actually gain true dragons; most are false dragons. The main issue with Dragonhood is that once you pick a path, you can't change it, as you and the mana beast are linked together. And if this turns out to be a false dragon, well, you're basically stuck with it for life."