[Chapter 2: New Names]

"How about White Little?" I suggested looking at the beast on my shoulder.

"No! You understand I'm not a pet, right?"She exhaled a sigh. "At best, your naming sense is pitiful."

"I'm suffering from amnesia. I'm not aware of any complex names with deep meanings." I spoke while aimlessly walking through the forest. I had no idea where we should go, but I wanted to find some people who could point us in the direction of a town.

"You're hopeless," She slapped me in the face with her tail before hopping onto my head.

"I've got a good one. What about Violent? "I cracked a smile.

"Hm, do you mean Violet?"

"I meant what I said," I said as I closed my eyes and tuned out her very loud ranting.

According to what I know, a Mana Core nationally forms in the body over a long period. Humans awaken when they are in their early teens. One in every two hundred people has the ability to awaken a core. I don't have one, and I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to awaken it.

So we discussed how to forcefully awaken me. The only way I can think of is to absorb ambient mana into my body in order to form a core. I'm not sure if people are aware of this, but we could try it.

In terms of my memories, I have a lot more information than I thought. However, nothing related to my identity or even a hint as to who I am can be found.

I had survival skills, so if we stay in this forest for longer than expected, we should be fine. Now, let's get back to the important stuff.

"May I suggest Fiona?" I said as politely as I could.

"Yes! You finally came up with something good!" She applauded from atop my head.

"Then it's Fiona. But what about me?" I inquired while sitting beneath a fruit tree. I'm not sure what kind of fruit it is. This is something I don't recall. It was white, about the size of my palm, and very soft.

"Austin, I think Austin will fit well. It means magnificent," Fiona leapt from my head onto my lap. "If you didn't already know, you have black hair with a pair of cyan eyes. They are very pretty, by the way."

"Oh. I suppose it'll suffice." I shrugged, even though we both knew I couldn't have come up with anything better. The moral of the story is that I am bad at naming while she is not.

At the very least, I now know one thing about myself. So that's good, well, maybe not good per se.

"How are you going to make a core?" Fiona inquired as she bit into the fruit in my hand. I'm curious if it's poisonous. Welp! I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.

"I'm just going to absorb mana into my chest," I replied quickly.

She sighed and looked at him with a deadpan expression. I'm not sure why. Nothing could possibly go wrong with what I'm about to attempt. Despite the fact that I know very little about mana, Mana Cores, or anything else of the sort.

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But that's beside the point!

"You know, for someone who has lost most of their memories, you are very expressive," Fiona said, wiping the point from her cheek.

"What do you mean?" I asked, eager to hear what she had to say.

"Well, as you know, memories are one of the most important factors that shape a person's personality. If you are a very paranoid person, it is possible that someone has broken your trust in the past, causing you to be suspicious of others.

"You have only a few fragments of memories about yourself, but here you are. You look to be the type who does not take many things seriously, but when you do, shit gets real. Despite that, you are astute and calculative when needed."

"Aww! You think I'm clever!?" I cooed as I drew her into a hug.

"You see what I mean! You're proving what I said just five seconds ago!" Fiona growled as she struggled to free herself from my grip. "Seriously, how are you not in crisis mode right now? I was just born, so having no memories is fine for me; you are unique."

I sat her on my lap and leaned back into the tree. I thought about her words for a while, and I have to say that I agree. I should be freaking out right now, but for some reason, I couldn't.

Like how, despite only knowing Fiona for an hour or so, I am already very clingy to her. I tried to recall anything about how the world worked, the class system, or how everything was organized, but there was nothing.

I was aware that magic can have a significant impact on your social standing. There isn't much you can do to gain power quickly if you aren't a mage. It takes a long time to establish a strong family status.

Non-mages had no choice but to hope and make do. I was aware of such things, but not of much deeper issues. I have no idea how many continents there are for one.

My memories are far too jumbled for me to devise a proper plan for the future. So we'd just have to take things one step at a time and hope for the best.

"How do you intend to create a Mana Core?" Fiona was perplexed. "From what I can tell from your memories, I doubt anyone has ever done it. Why hasn't anyone tried it if it's possible?"

"It really shouldn't be possible.

People can manipulate mana thanks to a Mana Core. Mana cannot be manipulated if one does not have one.

"I'm not going to manipulate and bend mana; instead, I'm going to guide a large amount of it into where a Mana Core usually is and condense it until it forms into a proper core."

Fiona took a few moments to process what I said. This was just a theory, after all, it could all go horribly wrong and I end up exploding from mana overload. That is a distinct possibility.

"This theory of yours has several flaws, but it could work. However, we have a major issue with this. If you start gathering mana like that, you'll have almost no control over it; if you take a break for a second, all the mana you've gathered could diaper... or explode." Fiona elaborated.

I had considered this as well, but I couldn't come up with a solution. Even if I had the patience to constantly gather it, I still needed to eat at some point. Even the smallest thing could break my consecration, and all my efforts would be for nought.

"Fortunately for you, my friend, I have a solution for that." Fiona puffed her chest out. "Because of our one-of-a-kind contract. I can do things like this!"

She looked at my arm, and just like that, it began to move on its own. My eyes widened as I regained control.

"I can only control your body if you let me. So, while you're gathering mana, I can take command and feed you. Isn't that wonderful? This will also allow me to feed you my own Mana and take control if something goes wrong. Now, extol my greatness!"

My lips curled into a smile. My hand moved on its own as I lightly patted her head. This solved one of my plan's major issues, which is fantastic. The chances of dying have decreased significantly!

Of course, I have no idea what my basic affinities are, but I'll find out if and when I make my core.

"When do you want to begin?"

"Now," I mentioned sitting cross-legged. "I'm not sure how long this will take. Many factors can influence the time, one of the most obvious being the purity of the mana around me, but do not stop me unless our lives are in danger."

"Yeah yeah, I know," Fiona waved her paw laying on the grass. "But seriously, if you start to lose control, I'll take control of it and direct it into my core instead."

"Sounds like a plan." I closed my eyes as I fell into the abyss once again. I honestly didn't want to return, but if I have to, I will.

"A very shit plan, but it's better than no plan." I felt her move onto my lap.

"Good point," I said.

"I'll see you later, hopefully in the land of the living."

It's definitely going to fail now. This girl has jinxed me so many times now, I wouldn't be surprised.