Chapter 3

Eva Lemuria

I wake up with my whole body in pain before I can even open my eyes. It's like a boulder has been set on top of me and my chest feeling like it's been burned from the inside. When I finally open my eyes I see that I'm laying down in my room. I try to sit up but it hurts too much. I look around and see our castles healer sitting at my side with her eyes closed asleep. On my other side leaning on the edge of my bed is Mama. She has dried tears on her face that make me wonder what happened.

Then I remembered what had happened and I can't help but start breathing like crazy as if my body is trying to see if it really is alive. I also start to worry so I try to check my body regardless of the pain. I notice that despite my intense pain there doesn't seem to be a single injury on my body.

As I keep looking over my body my movement must have awoken Mama. She stirs a little and then her eyes snap open and look directly at me. The next moment she throws her arms around me and pulls me into her chest. All I can feel is the intense love she has for me. Also pain, lots of pain from my sore body that I can't help but cry out and start crying. I was holding it in but this just pushed it too much. Mama lets me go and then begins apologizing.

“I'm sorry little Eva. I was just so happy you woke up I forgot the healer told me you would be sore. There, there, don't cry any more mamas sorry..” She keeps petting my head while holding me gently. “Sweetheart I'm glad you're alright I was so worried when you were brought back.”

“Brought back by who Mama?”

“The shadow guards sweetie. After you awakened they brought you home practically naked and unconscious. Do you know how worried I was? Don't think we don't know about the way you snuck out! Don't think I haven't forgotten about a punishm…..” Mama

“Wait, Mama! Did you say awakened? Awakened what?”

“Your mana heart has been forcefully awakened, Eva.” When I look over I see dad looking at me with a concerned but analyzing eye. I'm not sure why, but I felt uncomfortable under his gaze. “Sweetheart, what were you thinking risking your life like that?”

“Dad that girl would have been hit if I did nothing!” I'm not sure why I'm being yelled at. I thought I did something good.

“Eva, don't you know what it is that you saved? It was a mana mutant.” Dad

“Yah I noticed her ears and legs. She was different from others but I don't know what I did badly.” I feel tears starting to form in my eyes and I feel they will start dropping any second.

“Eva do you know why you don't see any mana mutants in the castle or even that many outside of it?” I shake my head to dad's question. “It's because they're dangerous. A mana mutant is created from when someone's body is exposed to large amounts of a foreign man. It can come from an artifact or even naturally from the ground. Where it comes from were not sure, but what we do know is that it causes disastrous effects. Those monsters that adventures go out to subjugate are from mana exposure. There are beasts and then there are mana beasts. A beast is still easy to take care of, but a mana beast is a whole other issue. They were once beast that became stronger and even gained the ability to use magic. They are a whole new species that wants to be at the top of the food chain. They can even breed with each other or beast that was from their previous race. These mana beast are dangerous for this reason.” He takes a second to face me and I can tell he doesn't want to tell me these things, yet he has too. “You may be wondering now why I'm telling you these things. It's because a mana mutant can turn into a mana beast. No, they will eventually turn into one. A mana mutant will only have physical changes at first but over time their minds will become corrupted. In the past, there were countless mana mutants that lived in this country, but slowly they all started changing and then attacked those around them.”

“Why? Why do they do that? Why do their minds change if their bodies have already changed? Why don't we help them instead of….what does happen to them now?” I look at dad with a gaze filled with my sadness and fear of what happens to those poor people.

“We take them out of the country in exile if we still can, but if its too late we put them down.” At this point, I feel a few tears fall from my eyes. Mama wipes them from my eyes. “ So the girl that I saved?”

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“She's been escorted out of the country towards a country where apparently they've had better luck in helping mana mutants. Now you should know why you shouldn't have risked your own life. If you had not have tried to save her your mana heart wouldn't have forcefully awakened.” Dad

“What is a mana heart anyway and an awakening?”

“A mana heart is someone's focus point. Or a keyhole. Everyone's body is filled with mana, but they can't use it until they have awakened. An awakening is when someone reaches a point of maturity where their mana heart is ready to be unlocked. Once it does someone will finally have access to their mana and can use magic.” He pauses his lecture and then looks into my eyes with incredible seriousness. “Sometimes someone will have their awakening forced early for various reasons. When this happens it is not like someone picking the lock instead it's like having a flaming dagger shoved through the lock melting it while blasting it open. It can't be closed on and the opening is much larger than it should be. Because of this for the rest of their lives, they will always leak a little of their mana.”

I am completely shocked at the moment. I thought I had saved a life, but it seems I have only prolonged it. I am also now able to use magic but it seems i'll have various issues in the future and i'll always leak it. “I don't regret it,” I mutter in a small voice, but it seems I was heard.

“After everything that's happened, you can still say that!?” Mama

“Yes. I'm glad I saved her even if it was only to give her more time.”

“Why? Don't you value your own life?” Mama was mad and I can see tears forming in her eyes as she holds my shoulders. I can't take back what's already been said though so I most finish it.

“It's because she's the same as me!” I let it out. My tears are falling uncontrollably. “People kept their distance from her and looked at her with eyes filled with disgust and fear! She was the same as me! Different!” At this point, I'm completely crying. I've always tried to hold it in so mama and dad don't worry about me, but I can't anymore. “Am I a mana mutant is that why I'm different? Is that why I'm hated so much?”

“NO! Sweetheart, you aren't hated. No one hates you” Mama told me while she pulled me into a tight hold. It hurts from the pain but I'm already crying so no one notices. I barely even notice myself. “Sweetheart you're a little different but you're definitely not a mana mutant.”

I'm not sure what to think anymore. If I really am a mana mutant it would make sense on why I look different and why my parents never let me go outside the castle walls. I was about to ask but then I noticed the expression on my parents' faces. There were sadness and fear. Fear not of me but of what else I could say. I decided to just drop my head and keep silent for now. While I'm running through all my thoughts I then remember that my mana heart has awakened. That must mean I can use magic now.

“Can I now use magic since my mana heart awakened?”

“Technically you can use magic, but yours is a bit special it seems.” He pauses looking as if he's troubled on what to say. “Everyone has a chosen element that's most compatible with their body. Sometimes people are even gifted with an affinity with two or more elements. There are basic elements like fire, water, earth, and air. There are also other rare elements. An example would be lighting. There have even been new elements discovered in the past by those with two or more affinities. An example is that with fire and earth one could create magma.”

“Yah but what is my element? Do you know?” My eagerness is probably showing but I don't care.

“When you forcefully awakened before your affinities did show. Your body has an affinity with lighting and fire, but…”He avoids looking into my eyes with a very sharp look.

“But what dad? What is it?”

“Both your elements seemed to be coated in darkness. You have black flames and black lightning. Apparently, they look extremely similar to your hair and eyes.”

I feel shocked. I felt as if my whole identity has always been darkness. People have always recognized me by my hair and eyes and now even my magic is going to be darkness. I'm not sure how I could possibly feel about this. I've never hated my own color, but I have always been judged because of it. What will people think of me when they see my magic? I don't know if I even want to use my magic anymore. Something that should have been a light in this dark day has just gone to the darkness that surrounds me.

I don't even pay attention to my surroundings anymore. My parents must be trying to tell me something, but I can't hear them. I need to see for myself the other thing that makes me different. The additional reason I'll be judged. So I hold up my left and right hand. I then feel my body with my mind. I feel the energy that has always been in me, but now I feel an opening. Where my heart is, there is a gate wide open that I allow some of my mana to pass through. I then envision flames surrounding my left hand and electricity on my right hand.

I feel time pass till both my hands erupt into their elements. I've now confirmed that I can use magic, but there is a problem. My father was right. Both my hands are covered in darkened elements. Both feel comfortable to me, but at the same time, I can't help but reject them at the same time. As if responding to my feelings both my hands' elements dissipate and I'm left staring at my hands. 

I finally look up and see that both my parents are shocked at my display. I then look past dad and see George by my door. He has a face as if he's seen a monster. As my mouth slightly opens to say something he runs off.

I feel heartbroken that now even my own brother has looked at me like I'm a monster. My parents noticed my brother as well, so my father goes to follow him while my mother keeps trying to talk to me. I can't help but ignore her. Today has been a very dark day for me and I'm not sure when it will get better. I don't know what I am anymore. I don't even know who I am anymore. I turn away from my mother and lay back down on my bed. I close my eyes in an attempt to stop my tears from falling.