I'll spare you the preamble, this isn't Earth and I'm not the old me anymore. Well… maybe a little. Aeloria, "The Shackled Beast" herself, had made me feel my first hint of mana. That single moment was electric, like touching the heartbeat of the world itself. For the first time since dying, I felt alive. Elias and Aeloria, though seemingly unsettled by it, had said something about "direct mana absorption" being unheard of, which, if you ask me only confirmed my suspicions: I was destined for greatness in any life I lived, regardless of the world.
If strength was the requirement in this world, then I'd claim it. Maybe even grab myself a castle, some titles, and a whole estate of servants to bow at my feet. King Reed. It has a nice ring to it. Then again, maybe I should grow powerful and live a secluded life, stay lowkey. I did get murdered back on Earth because of jealous people after all. Still. Obsolete strength? A powerful title? Why not both? ..Okay, I was getting ahead of myself. Back to my situation: after the whole mana thing, Aeloria left us with a subtle warning, "I'll return tomorrow to understand this power of yours." and all I thought was, tomorrow couldn't come soon enough. That night, I dreamt of something beautiful: a vast ocean of light stretching into eternity, currents of shimmering blue and white flowing endlessly. It wasn't just around me, it was me. I was the current. The current was me. But then another tide surged in. A darker, heavier stream pulling in the opposite direction. Dragging me down into the depths. I instinctively reached for it, touched it, then blackness swallowed everything. I woke up sweaty, my heart hammering. The dream clinging to me like cobwebs.
Work in the kingdom hadn't gotten easier but I had. My body felt stronger now, tougher, the ache of labor dulled into background noise. Elias noticed too. "Your stamina has improved quite a bit." He murmured one afternoon while stacking crates beside me. "Of course it is," I grinned, flexing. "Hard work tends to pay off, right?" In truth, it was more than muscle. The mana coursing through me had awakened something. My body felt alive, every nerve humming faintly with that same current I'd seen in my dream. When we spotted Aeloria from across the courtyard, she didn't acknowledge us. Not even a nod. Which made a lot of sense to be fair. If anyone knew she was sneaking off to aid my training she could definitely get into some trouble. Part of me wondered: why even help us at all? When the sun finally died and the moon rose. She arrived. Fully armored, helmet tucked under her arm, silver hair falling like a blade down her back. Her eyes were sharp as she looked me over. "So. You absorb mana directly." Her voice was harsh, testing. "That's not something anyone should take lightly." Elias adjusted his position, eager now. "Indeed. Normally, the body would instinctively create Vis through the combination of mana and Vos. Vis is usable, predicted, structured. Mana, however…" "Chaotic," Aeloria finished. "Unstable. Lethal if unrefined, which is why living beings evolved to manipulate it through the filtered Vis. Yet you–" she jabbed a finger at me "-skip that entirely. Neither of us knows what will happen when you attempt use." I smirked. "Well I guess we're about to find out." Elias looked excited, as if he was scribbling mental notes. Aeloria's gaze lingered on me, unreadable. "Fine, but this could potentially kill you."
Her training wasn't what I expected. No push-ups, no dueling, no flashy spells. Instead, she sat me down on the ground, back straight, palms open. "Close your eyes," she ordered. "We're going inside." She wove a spell, her voice low and rhythmic, pulling me into a sleeplike state. My thoughts dulled, drifting like leaves on a stream. "Can you feel your mana flow?" her voice echoed in the haze. "Yes," I said, emotionless. "Good, now picture another flow. We call it Vos. It is neutral, stagnant, like air. It does nothing alone, but when combined with mana, it creates Vis. Can you distinguish the two?" "Yes." "Perfect. Now… combine them." Nothing. "Have you combined the two?" she pressed on. I didn't answer. My body began to shake violently. "Reed?!" Elias shouted. Through her demi-human eyes, Aeloria saw my mana unraveling, threads snapping and whipping chaotically within me. "Stop. Now!" she roared, seizing my shoulders and yanking me back from the void. My eyes snapped open, meeting hers for a split second, then darkness claimed me again. When I came to, faint voices drifted around me. "What happened?" a man asked. Heavy boots approached. Another guard. Aeloria quickly slammed Elias into the ground, swiftly placing her helmet on. She rose with a commanding air, hand resting on her weapon. "These two were planning something suspicious," she barked. "I intervened, It's best to break them before things can progress." The guard eyed us – two groaning men on the floor – then smirked at her. "Hah. As swift as ever, Shackled Beast. No wonder you've received that nickname." He laughed and walked away. Only when his footsteps faded did Aeloria exhale. She looked down at me frowning.
Aeloria:
What am I doing here? I wondered. Why am I helping this boy… and a traitor? But I already knew the answer. Something about this boy, Reed and that infant potential had sparked something inside of me. Something dangerous. Something like hope.
Reed:
I woke again, this time with my head on something soft. For a moment I thought I was back on Earth, in a real bed. But no. My cheek was resting on Aleroia's lap, a flooded cloth between me and the cold steel of her armor. "Wha–?" I sat up so fast I almost knocked her over. "What–why–" "You went into shock when I asked you to combine mana and Vos," she explained. "Your body reacted violently. I had to pull you out." I glanced at Elias, who nodded solemnly. "Hm. I remember.." I rubbed my temples. "Floating along a current, then another current appeared, darker, heavier. They collided, then nothing." Almost like that dream, I thought. Aeloria frowned, exchanging a glance with Elias. "Vos is neutral," she said. "It shouldn't have caused any reaction besides Vis creation." "Perhaps his unique nature doesn't allow combination," Elias murmured, already theorizing. "But the backlash… remarkable." I grinned despite their worry. "Well, something's changed. I can feel my mana flow clearly now." They both stared at me. I shrugged. "So if I can't use Vis, why not just teach me to use mana directly?" Elias looked dumbfounded. Aeloria hesitated, but neither denied it. "This could really kill you, Reed," Elias said, eyes locking onto mine. I smirked. "Death hasn't stopped me before. Let's do it."
They explained the basics of Vis manipulation in hopes that I could try to grasp the concept and kind of figure this out myself since neither had experienced raw mana utilization prior to now. Visualization. Picture what you want to create, picture the process, picture the outcome. Is what they drilled into me. So I closed my eyes. I felt the flow of mana coursing through my veins, through my very being. It was me, I was it. Start small. I thought. Something I've already seen should make this easier, Elias's little wind gust. Perfect. I began channeling this flow of energy throughout my body, into a single stream, focusing on my right arm, into my palm. It wasn't like commanding a dog, more like moving my own limb. The mana obeyed, gathering at my fingertips. This wasn't chaotic or unstable like they had said, if anything, it was the opposite. Here we go. I imagined my hand as a fully powered leaf blower, forcing the mana to mimic my thoughts. I pulled my arm up into the air and shouted "Wind Gust!". Woosh! The energy burst outward and blasted Elias across the room like a ragdoll. "Ahh–!" Thud! He slammed into the wall, leaving a dent. The room went silent. Aeloria's eyes were wide. "Don't just point your hand anywhere when testing magic for the first time!" Elias coughed, dragging himself up. "If I hadn't cloaked myself in Vis that could've done major damage!" But he was smiling. Aeloria too, though disbelief lingered in her gaze. "You didn't use Vis," she said in a low voice. " You just.. Controlled pure mana directly." I looked at my hand, trembling. "I… I did it. I actually used magic." The three of us locked eyes. For the first time, we were all smiling together.
"...Let's continue," I said. And promptly fainted.