“What the hell was that!?” Shango said as he stared at Ave with a face full of disbelief, his mouth still left half-open from the shock of seeing real magic for the first time.

“You wanted proof, so I showed it to you, yet you still dare to ask that,” Ave said as she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head while raising her hands.

Just then it finally hit him. It was all true. Magic, getting summoned, it all was true. He was skeptical at first, but with the proof laid right in front of him, what else could he do but believe.

His mind went into complete disarray for a moment. Many thoughts ran wild inside of Shango’s head. Yuki’s crying face repeatedly appeared in his mind, Aunt Lara and Uncle Kenji who, in some cases, were beyond overprotective also came to mind. A bit of anger appeared on his face for a second before disappearing.

Since Shango was a person who was quick on the uptake, he began to calm himself down a bit. He knew nothing good would happen if he lost his temper at this place and time. He then began to gather his thoughts while thinking about what had happened to him.

After a short time, he turned to Ave and said, “I believe everything you’ve told me.” He put on a fake smile while leaning back into his bed, feeling somewhat exhausted from everything that had just transpired.

“Since everything you said was true, I would like to ask you some questions regarding this world.”

“Sure!” Ave replied enthusiastically, relieved because she thought his reaction would have been far worse. In previous cases, the summoned hero attacked the person giving them this type of news, which worried her, but that was not the case this time around.

“First, is there any way for me to go back to my world?”

Ave trembled for a brief moment before taking a deep breath and looking Shango in his eyes. She then proceeded to answer his question. “As far as anyone knows, there has never been a case of a summoned hero returning home. Many have tried, but none have succeeded. Some have even died experimenting with the hero summoning ritual.”

She looked at Shango to see how he would respond but to her surprise, he wore an thoughtful look on his face.

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“I figured it would be that way.” he said underneath his breath. He knew it would not be easy for him to return home, but he just had to ask to be sure. With that question answered, Shango fully accepted his situation—for now, at least. Straightening himself up, he then asked his second question.

“Since I’m going to be here for a while, could you explain your world’s magic to me.” You could hear an underlying sadness in his voice.

Ave became visibly excited at his question. She brought herself closer to him and sat near the edge of his bed, like a mother who was about to tell her child the most excellent bedtime story ever.

“Okay, first, I will explain mana and the basics of magic in this world.” she said, raising her head and projecting her voice. “Everyone in this world possesses mana, which is the energy used to cast magic. Even though everyone has mana, those who can fully use it are few in number.”

She looked at Shango, who had become fully immersed in her speech. Seeing that he was giving her his full attention, she became more enthusiastic while speaking and moving.

“Those who can manipulate mana are capable of training themselves, so they’re able to advance to new levels by increasing their strength, mana, lifespan and many other things.” she said with a look of satisfaction written all over her face.

“How would one go about training their mana?” Shango asked, still trying to fully understand the new information that was being presented to him.

Ave broke out in a smile. “There are two main ways to use mana to train and develop your power— you either become a Knight and use your mana to reinforce your body to near god-like levels or become a Mage and use mana to cast spells. Both professions are excellent and they each have their downside and benefits.”

While he listened to Ave, more questions came to Shango’s mind.

“So this is just me guessing, but in close combat knights rule, and in long-distance combat mages are king?” he asked.

“Not exactly.” She paused for a moment to give it more thought before continuing, “The element a person has also plays a significant role as well. Many knights die at the hands of a mage in close combat because of having an elemental disadvantage. The same could be said for mages killed by knights at long distances. Spells, techniques, and equipment play a large part as well.”

“Oh!” Ave said as she clapped her hands together, remembering something important. “There are also heroes that are descendants of a line of heroes who are Diverged ability users.”

“Wait, what are Diverged ability users?”

“Diverge abilities are special powers that only summoned heroes can use. The ritual use always grants the hero a Diverge ability. Some believe it is a gift from the gods to help the hero survive in this world. Those abilities are then passed on to the heroes’ descendants but are weakened as time passes and the heroic blood thins out.”

Shango grew very excited at Ave’s words. What young kid never dreamed of having superpowers?

“How do I use my Diverge ability?” he asked excitedly.