Sitting on the log, Dante decided to ask something that troubled him, something that weighed on his mind.
— Viviane! — his voice came out calm, yet deep.
— Yes? — Viviane replied, looking at Dante, who was watching the dawn sky with a slightly strange expression.
— How did you do that? How did you heal me? And what were those lights? What was that screen that covered the village? How could your father move so fast, how was he so strong? And finally… what was that thing that chased me? — Dante finished, his barrage of questions accompanied by a slight tremble of fear.
Viviane, still looking at Dante, showed a curious expression. How could he not know any of those things? Was he joking with her? No, his expression was far too serious.
— Well, where should I start… — she said. — That light you saw was what I used to heal you, a level 1 healing spell. And I can do that because I am a mage. My father could move so fast and is so strong because he's a level 2 combatant.
— And what was it that chased me? — Dante asked.
— I didn't see it, but my father said it was a Terror, an evil god of level 1 — Viviane answered gently, allowing Dante to process the information.
Magic, mage, combatant, and evil god? Those words clashed in Dante's mind, turning it into a drum. He didn't know where to begin with his questions or his thoughts, and the seconds passed in an eerily silent way.
Until his voice finally came out, filled with curiosity and unable to hold back:
— Mage? Combatant? What does that mean?
Viviane looked at him for a few seconds before starting to explain:
— It seems your memories really have been lost… what a shame — she said, placing her hand on Dante's forehead again. — Let's go step by step. There is something called MANA, an energy that resides in the whole world. When absorbed, people can use powers. To absorb it, one must choose a path: combatant, knight, or mage.
— Combatants — she continued — use mana to strengthen their bodies, like my father does. It's an unpopular method.
— Knights — she said, looking at Dante — use mana to strengthen their weapons and wills. This is the most common and the simplest path.
— Mages — she completed — use mana to create spells. It's the strongest and most difficult path, because it requires the creation of a magic core.
— Once chosen, the path is unchangeable. Any other becomes impossible, but it's more complex than it seems.
— The path of knights is very popular because they use only a small part of mana to create ranged attacks, like mages, and also strengthen their bodies for better weapon combat.
— The path of mages involves spells, curses, totems, and potions, offering a vast array of possibilities and abilities.
— The path of the combatant is more unpopular because it is difficult. Using mana to strengthen the body is time-consuming and exhausting, but in raw strength they are superior, especially in close combat. However, at medium and long range, their weaknesses become evident.
— Powers are divided into levels from 1 to 4, and each level has 9 sub-levels. I, for example, am a level 1 mage with 8 stars, and my father is a level 2 combatant, the only one in the village.
Suddenly, Viviane stood up and stretched out her hand. A small ball of fire appeared, flew to the ground, and created a small crater.
Startled, Dante jumped up and stepped back, but collided with something: it was Tyler, watching the conversation with a strange expression.
— It seems my daughter has already explained about mana, hasn't she? — he said calmly, still wearing that strange expression. — Well, come with me.
He grabbed Dante by the collar and vanished, making Viviane call out as she saw them disappear:
— Father, what are you going to…