More than three weeks have passed since I met Nashira. Since I didn’t want to disturb her meticulously-built home, I created a small shelter for myself on the surface, near the tunnel entrance. The trees in the area are quite big. Using wood, I built a treehouse large enough for one person to sleep in. The idea came from stories I read about elves. Supposedly they all live deep in uncharted forests. Unlike humans who cut down forests and use the land for farming, elves have a symbiotic relationship with nature. They protect the forests and the forests protect them. Their homes are built in tall trees and hidden with ancient magic. It’s said that their civilization dates back tens of thousands of years, much older than those of humans. If such an amazing place exists, then I’d certainly like to visit it someday.

It’s uncertain how much of this story is actually true. Stories and legends are often based on fact but they are also embellished and distorted every time they are retold. For example, there is a tale from a few hundred years ago, when Amisos was still forming. Supposedly there was a great warrior who could crush boulders with his bare hands. He defeated an army of a thousand by himself. He used his great strength to unite the neighbouring tribes. This alliance would eventually become known as Amisos kingdom. I doubt such a man ever existed. It sounds like a made-up story meant to give the country a sense of pride and unity. It’s not a bad thing, but it’s useless to me. Reliable knowledge is what interests me.

Most of the day is spent exploring the forest and training my skills. It turns out that this area is the base of a mountain.  It’s a heavily forested and uninhabited area; the perfect spot to live in solitude. A magic field was also cast to keep stray animals away from the tunnel. Nashira has lost track of how long she has been here, but it’s probably several decades at least. That’s a long time to live alone, for humans at least. Most of my activities at the academy were conducted in private, but I still had plenty of contact with teachers, other students, servants and some nobles who visited on occasion. I was never truly alone.

It’s a different story for Nashira however. She has been alive for centuries. Her knowledge is solid evidence that she really is the same Chaos Mage who lived 300 years ago. She has been disconnected from the world so long that entire decades passed without her noticing. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why she welcomed me. Even a demon can become weary of doing nothing but research and experiments for so long.

I hunt animals and gather plants for food. I’m already familiar with sleeping outdoors, so the treehouse wasn’t really necessary. It was mainly for magic practice. The wood was molded by altering the water within it and then strengthened with arcane magic. Located at a height of 12 meters, the treehouse cannot be reached through normal means. This gives me a chance to practice ‘Divine Step’. Teleporting up to the treehouse and back is a good exercise. The spell is also used to travel longer distances. It can take me as far as my eyesight can reach. Even if my vision is obscured by trees, I can use anything that contains mana as a point of reference for teleportation. No chant is necessary, which means that with enough experience the spell is activated almost instantly. The biggest limiting factor is the mana cost of the spell which increases with distance travelled.

In the evening, I visit Nashira at her underground residence. Her hospitality continues to surprise me. She doesn’t seem bothered by my presence and instead asks for my help with some experiments. I doubt that help is necessary. If she didn’t need help for decades then why would it start now? She might be doing this for my benefit, so that I may learn something new. She used to be a magic teacher long ago. Maybe some of those old habits are returning. When I mentioned this casually at one point, she became uncharacteristically embarrassed and denied it strongly. I decided not to press the issue. After a few hours of work, I become too tired to continue working and retire to my treehouse. Unlike her, my brain needs a few hours of sleep to function properly. Just like that, three weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

After much exploring, I discover two human settlements along the edge of the forest. One is a small farming village to the south and the other is a medium-sized town to the west. According to Nashira, this whole area is part of Zamora, a kingdom located directly to the south of Amisos. I received a bit of a shock when hearing this. Not long ago, I was near the northern border of Amisos. Somehow I crossed all the way into the south. The only thing that can account for this is teleportation. I regret not being able to remember what exactly happened. In any case, there is no need to visit the towns right now, so I return after confirming their location.

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While helping with a particular experiment, I receive an even bigger surprise. We were testing mana resonance on a piece of red crystal, when I decide to ask a fairly simple question.

“Nashira, what is this crystal called? These physical properties are unlike anything I’ve read about.”

“Oh, you didn’t know? I believe humans call it bloodstone.”

“What!? Isn’t bloodstone supposed to be opaque?”

“The one you’re referring to is the low-quality composite version that is found near the surface. In its natural state, it is mixed with quartz, granite, shale and other impurities. The one we have here is 100% pure.”

Her explanation only confuses me more. “Shouldn’t it corrode our mana then?”

“Corrosion requires a trigger in order to start the reaction.”

“So it won’t react unless it comes into direct contact with mana?”

“Indeed. If you are worried about the danger of poisoning, don’t be. Your mana circuits will not react to it. Your mana is now the same as mine because of ‘Origin’. Once you have completed the rite of passage, bloodstone poisoning can no longer take place. At most, you will experience a slight headache or raised body temperature.”

My mouth stretches into a wide smile. This new information is giving me a lot of interesting ideas. Some experiment will be necessary to confirm if I’m right and I know just the people to test it on.

“Thank you, Nashira. This information is very useful.” She gives a nod in response and goes back to work.

I eagerly await the day I see those nobles again. The look on their faces will be priceless.

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From the beginning, I trained myself each and every day while quickly incrementing the difficulty. My last excursion in a forest was just a camping trip by comparison. This time I’m serious. This time I have resolve. Physical strength, magic enhancements, combat spells, stealth, teleportation, all of these skills were sharpened. Some of them were put to the test after the third week.

I start sprinting up the mountain until I reach a cliff. Then I start teleporting over everything that couldn’t be climbed. I went higher and higher while pushing myself to the limit. My breathing is steady even while running. The mind is as clear as the cloudless sky. My mana circuits are humming with energy.

This mountain is quite big. The highest peak must be about 5 km above sea level. Without teleportation, it would take weeks to climb. Fortunately, the weather is nice and visibility is good. ‘Divine Step’ covers hundreds of meters in a single jump. I keep going without any rest. White, snowy peaks appear in the distance. The landscape is flying past me at a dizzying rate. Trees are a just blur and startled animals run away after my landings. My speed would make the fastest wind mage burn with envy.

Establish coordinates. Create mana field. Compress into singularity. Faster. Keep running. Establish coordinates. Create mana field. Compress into singularity. Faster. Higher. Faster!

An entire valley is crossed in a single ‘Divine Step’. My landing point is on the highest peak of the mountain. Though I am sweating hard and breathing roughly, I reached my destination safely. Cold wind is blowing, which I counter with fire magic to stay warm. The air is a bit too thin for breathing. This is remedied by using air and arcane magic to compress the atmosphere around me.

I can see clouds far below me. It feels empowering to stare down at the earth below like this. At this altitude, the horizon is more than 250 km away. Amisos should be somewhere to the north, but it’s too far to see and clouds are getting in my way. The two towns I discovered look like small specks. If my eyesight was good enough, I could see every town within a radius of 100 km or more. People and buildings are barely visible. A profound sigh escapes me.

“Everything looks so small, so insignificant… yet also beautiful.”

I make a new resolution. When my affairs are in order and I can finally settle down somewhere, I will build my home on a mountain like this one.