The village was a blessing for Eric. The hunter took Eric to his home and introduced his wife and pregnant daughter to Eric. Leaving him with the two women, the hunter said he would drop off the squirrels and get his pay before returning to ensure Eric was settled for the night.

After leaving Eric looked at the two women and smiled shyly at them.

“My name is Cassie, this here is my daughter, Larenea.” The hunter’s wife stated as she introduced herself properly when her husband left the hut.

“Thank you kindly, Mrs. Cassie, my name is Eric.” Eric quickly bowed his head, wondering what the proper custom was to greet others.

After standing back up straight, Larenea turned and grabbed a wooden spoon and a rag. She turned toward the fireplace and lifted a black metal lid off of a large cauldron pot that was resting above the fire. As soon as she did the smells of a vegetable and meat stew wafted into the air, causing Eric to raise his head and slowly inhale the wonderful smells.

“That smells so wonderful!” Eric said without realizing he had spoken out loud.

Cassie was still watching Eric and smiled deeply, bringing her left hand up to her chest. “Thank you so much. We don’t have much due to the goblin patrols but we make do with what my husband and other hunters are able to bring home.”

“I met one of those goblin patrols a few days back,” Eric said half thinking to himself out loud again.

A shocked expression and eyes going wide, Cassie stepped up to Eric looking him over, “You don’t look injured, and your...” Pausing as she shows no disgust in his choice of clothing, “Your coverings wouldn’t protect you from them, how did you get away?”

Eric looked at the concerned woman standing before him, feeling vulnerable and exposed even though his coverings did protect his modesty, just a little. “I ran, got some minor cuts but was able to heal up over the days that passed since.”

Eric took a moment to bring his arms up and examine them. For the first time since his arrival in this world, Eric had not looked at his injuries or where they used to be before they were healed by the absorbed mana.

“I had a few fights with squirrels and a wolf or two. I was surprised at how quickly I was able to heal when that green glow faded from them to me.”

Cassie looked at Eric confused, “Green glow? Are you talking about their glowing eyes?”

Eric thought for a moment before answering, “Yea, some creatures had a green glow in their eyes, and others had an aura-like glow to them.” Eric gestured with his hands in a ball-like motion.

“Their glow faded, almost like it was fading toward me when they died. A Croc, wolf, rabbit, and a squirrel all had a glow that I had to kill with a dagger I found in a sewer.”

Immediately Eric felt he shared too much information with Cassie as she was observing him.

“Robbie and Rian may know more, but I think that was mana you absorbed and might be why you don’t have any injuries,” Cassie stated turning to see her daughter finish pouring a bit of the stew into a wooden bowl.

Larenea placed the bowl on the small table, which can seat four people comfortably, and pointed to a chair where the bowl was near. “Sit, eat,” she said, not looking his way for more than needed to say the words. For a moment, Eric thought he saw her blushing. Maybe my coverings are a little too little for this moment? Eric thought to himself while he sat down.

Eric not wanting to turn down the food but also not wanting to seem too eager, looked from Larenea to Cassie. Upon seeing her assuring nod, Eric sat down and picked up the crude wooden spoon, scooping a portion of stew into his mouth, pausing to enjoy the smells coming off of it.

The taste was amazing, yet anything at this point would be amazing, as Eric hadn’t had a good meal in over a week. Roughly cooked meat from the animals that attacked him, or the weird berries and nuts he saw the squirrels eating. But to him, this stew was a heavenly blessing. The broth was smooth and thick with flavors. Gamey meat, soft vegetables, and warmth made Eric feel at ease as he took another scoop and enjoyed the meal.

“Well now, looks like he is enjoying it!” Cassie said happily as she turned and grabbed a rag that was resting on the table. “If you need something else, we have some bread that’ll be ready later this afternoon when the men get back.

“Mmmm… Thank you, this is so wonderful compared to what I’ve had out there in the woods for the past few days.” Eric excitedly stated, taking another joyous scoop of stew into his mouth.

“No need to be a flatter foot now, eat up, we’ll get you some better coverings and a quick wash.

———

The rest of the afternoon went well for Eric, he got some clothing that was made of a mix of leather, wool, and a material that resembled cotton. A simple pair of leather shoes that were a mix of a shoe and a boot, strong enough to work for weeks of hiking, and light enough to not feel like a boot. While the clothing didn’t match anything Eric was used to wearing, it was better than the roughly cut wolf hide he had used to make coverings for his sensitive areas and feet.

Looking himself over, Eric was pleased with the dark brown pants, a simple item that was like a sock, but thinner, a short sleeve faded green shirt that rested gently on his upper body, and a thin dark leather vest that allowed him a pocket on each breast. The women ensured the clothes were brought in a little as they were hand-me-downs from Rian and his son-in-law.

“Now I believe we have you all set for tonight and tomorrow’s clothes. Anything more you can acquire after doing some chores and maybe some jobs for the few people that need a hand or two.”

Eric was relieved. The clothing he was given, after many pokes and prods to his body while the women double-checked his measurements was still a blessing better than what he had when he entered their home.

“Mrs. Cassie, if you don’t mind, can you tell me more about the mana you were talking about?” Eric asked as he saw her stitching another pair of pants for him. He sat down at the table, making sure to turn the chair enough that he could sit facing her.

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“Well, I don’t know much,” Cassie said as she looked up from her task towards the ceiling. She put down the pants and turned away from the desk where she was working on the pants.

“I’ll tell you what I was told as a child, my husband can tell you better. The village healer or one of the elders can tell you more as well.” She paused as she shifted in the chair uncomfortably. “Mana is everywhere, you can find it in the air, water, food, and even the creatures that live on this broken world.”

Larenea walked into the main part of the hut from her room and sat down at the table near Eric, putting a shirt down on Eric’s lap.

Eric looked at the shirt then back at Lorenea, “Thank you!”

Larenea nodded and looked at her mother as she settled into the chair.

“Mana is required for growth beyond what we are. It is a means to an end for any ability or skill that you wish to use beyond what a human can normally do, which is little compared to what a human can do when they acquire their own mana core.” Cassie takes a deep breath.

“We are human, as you know, and there are other creatures that live and try to survive on this broken world just as we do. They are just like us, discarded or lost. Yet, we all have the chance to take in mana and use it. Only those with mana cores can use it better than others.”

“I have so many questions, but please continue?” It was all Eric could say without starting a barrage of questions on what Cassie had just said.

“I know, and I will answer what I can.” Cassie smiled, “Those creatures you encountered with green glowing eyes are creatures that were mana-infused. Mana-infused creatures aren’t normal creatures, they are stronger, and some have abilities and skills that normal creatures do not. No matter what mana they are infused with, if you kill or consume, or both, a creature that is mana-infused, you will absorb that mana, and while it has no aspect it can be rough on a human. If the mana already has an aspect, let us say Fire aspect, then the creature will have a red or orange glow behind their eyes. Other mana aspects, or types will have other colors.”

Cassie shifted in her chair again as she crossed her legs, adjusting her ankle-length dress. “You said you encountered creatures with a green glow behind their eyes, that would be Air mana or a subtype of Life mana called Nature mana. Based on you having no cuts or bruises, I think you absorbed nature mana. There is a little more I can tell you, but are you understanding what I have shared with you?”

Eric rubbed the back of his neck, a process he recalled his grandfather doing when he was a child. He sighed and looked at Cassie.

“You said there are other types of mana? You mentioned Fire, Air, and Nature. Is is safe to say there is a type for each element? Air, Fire, Water, Earth.” Eric paused for a short moment, “You also mentioned life, I guess there would be death, and if there is nature, is there something like Undeath? What about Light, or dark magic, or mana?”

Cassie smiled, placing her hands on her knees gently. “You are right about all of those. Here there are the four main elements you mentioned, along with Light and Dark. There is Life, Death, Nature, Undeath, psionic, which I just like calling mind mana. There is also blood mana, which is dangerous, and you should never be near it!” Cassie stated the last part like a mother scolding her child.

Returning her smile she continued, “There is also something called mag-tech or magitech, I think, it is more like mana and metal combined. There is also deep magic, such as Spirit mana, Chaos, Time, Void, and Aether. I was never really sure about the deep magics, but they were told to me by my mother so I’ll share it with you. There is also forbidden, corrupted and perverse types of mana. Those you should never try to weld, they can corrupt or kill anyone who tries.”

Cassie stood, almost curious why she was scolding and being a parent to this young man she was explaining mana to. Taking a deep breath she sat back down, calming herself. “I’m sorry, I got carried away,” she smiled and looked at her daughter, then back to Eric.

“Forbidden mana, while dangerous, still is out there. They are Necromancy, Hell mana, Void Mana, Cursemancy, Time mana, and Soulcraft, a perversion of spirit magic. There are variations of mana that exist that are splinters of the same branch as the root. Like Nature, or even wild magic such as Fae.”

Eric took note of the last one, although he had been listening intently to all of what Cassie was telling him, the word ‘Fae’ was not unknown to him, just like many of what she was saying wasn’t unknown. He’d heard of many of the magic types in various video games and tabletop RPGs he played as a kid and as an adult.

“Fae, as in Faefolk? Fairies, pixies, nymphs and the such?” Eric asked, hoping to not get the answer he was going to hear.

“Yes, those are the ones, and many more. They exist in the Faewild, and like to travel to our plane. You do best not to speak ill of them or around them, and always watch your words carefully, for you should never, and I mean it Eric, Never. Give. Them. Your. Name!” The last words were like a teacher tapping the chalkboard as they spoke, as if the words were in the test.

“I’ve heard of stories about the Fae, trust me, I won’t trust them and I’ll avoid any if I can.” Eric said, calming Cassie down when she heard him reply to her.

“Eric, we’ve spent some time getting your clothes ready, you need to sleep later, and you’ll use the spare room next to Larenea and her husband’s room.” Cassie said as she stood, taking a few steps and dropping the pants onto his lap, ontop of the shirt that Larenea had placed in his lap earlier. “Now if you don’t mind, we have to finish getting our evening meal ready, and you should go make sure the bed and room will work for you while you stay with us.

“Yes ma’am,” Eric said, causing a moment of confusion to pass over Cassie’s face as she turned and started putting her sewing items away.

———

That night as Eric let himself fall to sleep, his dreams were of his memories and people he missed.

***

“Eric, hun, make sure you wash up before you come and eat, dinner will be ready in a short bit.”

Eric put down the stick he was using as his mighty sword and ran to his grandparent’s house.

Overhead the sound of birds chirping and the wind blowing past as Eric ran straight to the mudroom of his grandparents’ home to wash up.

“Granny, I fought the dragon of Mor’doom and I scared it off!” Eric excitedly said as he trailed water off of his hands running into the kitchen where his grandmother was grabbing some glasses and a jug of ice-cold sweet tea.

“The amount of bruising that Dragon is going to have in the morning might keep it away for a while.” The voice of Eric’s grandfather echoed from the hallway as he passed through the kitchen to the dining room table.

“Did the mighty warrior beat up the old ancient dragon?” Her face brought a smile wide as she set the glasses and jug down on the dining table.

“Who are you calling ancient?” Eric asked as he looked between his grandparents.

His grandfather let a single laugh out as he rubbed the back of his neck, pulling a wooden chair out from the head of the dining table.

“Well this old man might be old, but I’m not that old!” His statement nearly cut off as Eric’s grandmother patted her husband’s shoulder as she walked back to the kitchen to grab the stack of plates by the sink.

“Oh let me help granny!” Eric said, bounding past her to grab up the plates and running them back to the dining table fast enough to cause her pause. Taking her apron off and putting it over the edge of the sink, she turned around with a bowl of broccoli in her hands sitting down to her husband’s left, across from the empty chair Eric just sat in, still hands full of plates.

“Now you know we need to pass out the plates, but first, let’s say grace.” Eric’s grandmother said as she put the bowl of broccoli down toward the center of the table.

“Yes granny,” Eric said with a pouty face, bowing his head and bringing his hands together at the table.

His grandfather spoke up, “Dear lord, we thank you for this bountiful meal before us and we thank you for the joyous moments and life you have allowed us to live. Lord, please continue to grace us with long and fruitful lives in service of your name.”

“AMEN!” Eric thundered as he grabbed his fork and watched his grandmother pass out the plates.