CHAPTER 16

THE UNINVITED GUEST'S LESSONS

  A sense of unease crept over Hans as he sensed an unfamiliar gaze trained upon him. In a sudden flurry of movement, he scrambled to compose himself, only to find that Sierra was the one observing him with a curious expression. "You've been quite engrossed lately," she remarked, her tone hinting at a hint of playfulness. Hans let out a resigned sigh but remained silent. Sierra persisted, "Is it that interesting?"

  Sierra, a skilled mage in her own right, stood before a tome promising the tantalizing prospect of infinite mana. Despite her claim of disinterest, it was clear to Hans that the book held a certain allure for her. Taking a moment to catch his breath, Hans responded with a wry smile, "You nearly gave me a heart attack, Granny."

Sierra pressed on, her curiosity piqued,

What secrets does the book contain?

Hans reached down to retrieve the book from the floor, his eyes alight with admiration.

Its author was truly a genius.

Rudolf, who had been lurking just behind Sierra, couldn't help but interject,

If Samson caught you calling him a genius, you'd hear it to no end.

Rudolf replied from behind her,

Samson would have smacked your head if he heard you.

Hans rolled his eyes in response, aping Rudolf's gruff tone,

Yes, yes, I know, calling someone a genius is an insult, I get it...

Sierra cut in with a biting retort,

But geniuses tend to die young, only simpletons as your grandpa lives long.

Hans laughed in response, clearly tickled by Sierra's sardonic humour, while Rudolf merely grunted in annoyance. "I don't need you to be a genius, Hans," Sierra continued, her tone suddenly serious. "I just want you to stay alive for a good long while."

Without hesitation, Hans threw himself into her waiting embrace, offering a heartfelt reassurance, "Don't worry, Granny. I won't leave you, even if you try to get rid of me."

Hans said, snuggling in her embrace,

Speaking of which, I had that weird dream again.

Sierra reached out to pat his head comfortingly, a look of concern etched onto her face.

What did you see this time?

"It was...strange," Hans began hesitantly. "I was in the dream, but I wasn't myself, killing a bunch of elves with a sword, and I was so strong..." His voice trailed off, a sense of unease settling over him once more.

  Sierra's expression grew solemn as she listened, her mind racing to make sense of the troubling dream. She knew of someone who had the gift of glimpsing into the future through dreams, but she couldn't be sure whether Hans' unsettling vision was a premonition or simply the product of his vivid imagination, fueled by his love of reading fictitious stories.

  "Whatever it is," she reassured him, "we'll figure it out together, my child." She gently patted his head, urging him to let go of his worries and focus on the present. Hans felt a sense of comfort wash over him as he looked up at Sierra's kind face, knowing that he could always count on her for guidance and support.

  With a renewed sense of determination, Hans drew in a deep breath and strengthened his resolve to become stronger, and quickly at that. He knew that his loved ones were worried about his safety, and he wanted to ease their minds by showing them that he was capable of handling whatever challenges came his way.

  Samson's request for Hans to protect the people in his absence was unnecessary, for Hans cared deeply about his family and would do whatever it took to keep them safe. With each passing moment, he felt a growing sense of determination and purpose, driving him ever closer to his goal of becoming the powerful mage that his family needed him to be.

  As the rain poured down in a relentless deluge, Hans found himself growing increasingly restless and bored. He longed to delve deeper into the pages of the book in front of him. But he knew that skimming through its pages would do him no good, and that to truly master the lessons contained within, he would need to seek the guidance of the treants themselves.

  Unfortunately, the weather was not on his side, throwing temper tantrums from early morning and showing no signs of letting up. Hans sighed and tried to distract himself from his impatience, but the sound of the raindrops tapping against the windowpane only served to heighten his frustration. He knew he would need to wait until the storm passed, but the thought of being trapped indoors for another day was almost too much to bear.

  Rudolf and Sierra were leisurely enjoying their afternoon, savouring the warmth of their tea and the comfort of their home. However, their tranquillity was suddenly disrupted as both of them abruptly became serious and hastened towards the doorstep where Hans was lounging with a storybook. Hans was caught off guard by their sudden shift in demeanour and asked them what was wrong.

  Rudolf's frustration was palpable as he exclaimed, "Something is approaching, and it's coming with a large group of beings." He had grown weary of unwelcome guests recently, so this new arrival only added to his annoyance. As the hoard drew nearer, Hans recognized the familiar figures of his new friends, the treants. Unlike Rudolf and Sierra, Hans couldn't contain his excitement at the sight of his tree-like companions.

  Sierra deliberated on their options as the treants surrounded their home. Their collective power could easily overpower Rudolf, causing her to worry. However, after observing how peacefully they were calling Hans, she eventually relented.

  Without hesitation, Hans reached out and made contact with the oldest treant, conveying his sincere desire to learn how to harness mana like a Treant. The old being responded with positivity, demonstrating the process by sprouting and growing its own branches.

  Hans retrieved the seed from his pocket and presented it to the treant, curious to see what would happen. A small branch from the treant extended and gently lifted his hand, its touch transmitting control signals to the seed. As if awoken by the treant's mana, the seed started to absorb the surrounding energy, rapidly sprouting and growing into a flourishing plant before their eyes.

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  Hans felt the treant's touch acting like a catalyst, opening him up to the raw power of nature. The treant guided him, teaching him the art of manipulating mana, and Hans absorbed every bit of knowledge like a sponge soaking up water.

  As he focused, Hans felt the flow of mana shifting according to his will, causing plants to sprout up around him at a rapid pace. However, he knew that this was only possible due to the elder treant's connection to him, and he had yet to master the art of mana control on his own.

  Hans spent several blissful hours with the treants, who treated him like one of their own, sheltering him from the unrelenting rain. They taught him everything they could about the raw mana of nature. As the sun began to set, the treants bid him farewell and scattered off into the forest, leaving Hans with a newfound sense of wonder and knowledge.

Sierra felt relieved that Hans was unharmed, pulling him inside the house and bombarding him with questions.

"Why did those creatures come looking for you?" she asked, her worry still evident in her voice.

Hans smiled, feeling a sense of pride in his accomplishment.

They said I called them.

Rudolf interjected,

Did you call them? How?

Hans shrugged.

I don't know how, but I just wanted to see them, and they sensed it somehow.

Rudolf rolled his eyes at Hans's comment.

You are an unending thread of surprise, squeaky.

Hans grinned.

Maybe I am born superior, gramps.

Ha! Don't talk like an idiot elf.

  Hans halted his words, determined not to let senseless arguing with Rudolf ruin his newfound knowledge. He didn't care about the surprised expressions on his grandparents' faces at the moment. He had just completed his first experiment in mastering the treant way of magic, as Samson had written. Now, he wanted to use it without the aid of the treants.

A sudden memory jolted him, something he wanted to ask but had forgotten in the morning's panic and the treants' visit. He turned to Rudolf and Sierra and posed his question.

What is solar magic?

Hans stood there, waiting for his grandparents to answer his question. But when they looked at him with confusion, he realized that maybe they didn't know what solar magic was either.

It's in the next book of the 'Books of Fate', he explained to them.

Rudolf furrowed his brow, trying to remember.

"Solar mage...solar mage...," he muttered, lost in thought.

Sierra, however, couldn't resist teasing him.

"Don't overtax your brain, Rudolf. It's not meant for heavy usage." she joked.

Turning her attention back to Hans, she said, "I'm not sure about the book or the mage, but it sounds like it has something to do with the sun."

  Hans held back, resisting the urge to use sarcasm to point out the obvious. Sierra, on the other hand, was lost in contemplation. She knew that asking about the second book was risky; if the wrong people found out, it could lead to dangerous consequences. The secrets her son kept were powerful, and there were many who would stop at nothing to find them, so she warned Hans.

You promised to not look for it until you are strong, so stop being curious.

Hans nodded in agreement, and Rudolf added to the conversation,

You will eventually know about the second book if it's for you in the end, anyway. Now show me what you learnt from those walking trees.

  Hans nodded obediently once again, realising the weight of his grandparents' concern. He knew that the secrets of Sam's legacies were not to be taken lightly, and he didn't want to cause any unnecessary harm. Instead, he focused on Rudolf's request, eager to show off his newfound knowledge.

  With a small smile, he held out his hand, focusing his attention on the mana surrounding him, trying to mimic Treant's way of manipulation. It was a delicate balance of power, and he tried to rush the mana into the seed without overwhelming it.

  He felt the mana respond, but progress was slow compared to the effortless growth he had witnessed with the Treants. Nevertheless, he persisted, pouring his concentration into the small seed, and after a while, he felt a familiar warmth in his hand. A small sprout began to grow from his palm, twisting and turning as he willed it to and it did not take a while for the seed to transform into a tiny plant.

Hans marvelled at the tiny plant he had managed to grow, the first one he had created without the help of the Treants. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Rudolf's eyes widened in amazement, and Sierra looked on with a mixture of pride and apprehension, while Hans was drenched in sweat and strained from the mental effort. Manipulating mana demands a significant amount of focus, and Hans was pushing himself beyond his limits to expand the size of his mana bucket (mentioned on page 6 of the first book, an example of a well and bucket of mana).

  Despite the difficulty of the task, Hans didn't relent. He smiled with satisfaction as he gently removed the growing plant from his hand and placed it in the backyard. With the roots firmly anchored in the earth, the plant's growth accelerated at a remarkable pace. In a matter of moments, the tiny plant had blossomed into a towering tree, nearly as tall as Rudolf.

Sierra grew worried as she noticed Hans struggling to catch his breath, but her concerns were quickly put to rest as she saw the elation on his face. She was astounded by Hans's progress. It had only been a few hours since he learned how to manipulate the flow of mana, yet he was already performing it with the skill of an expert.

  Hans yearned for more, the beauty of using nature's mana was it had no limits. And so, he challenged himself to push beyond his limits, to expand his vessel(control) for drawing mana from the world. He scattered a handful of seeds upon the earth, and with arms outstretched to the heavens, he bellowed a commanding cry, bending nature's mana to his will, "Grow!"

  The seeds seemed to awaken at his call, bursting to life with frenzied vigour. Before his eyes, saplings erupted from the ground, exploding into a profusion of trees, each heavy with a bounty of fruits in every shape and hue. Though mentally drained, the thrill of his accomplishment overwhelmed Hans, and he collapsed onto the ground, laughing uncontrollably.

  But as exhaustion gripped him with a vice-like hold, a deep slumber soon took over, and he sank into the realm of dreams, savouring the sweet fruits of his labour.

  As Hans stirred awake in the dead of night, he discovered Sierra sound asleep in a reclining chair at his bedside. As he surveyed his surroundings, he was struck by a profound change. Everywhere he looked, he could see the world in a whole new light, as if every object was pulsing with vibrant waves of colour that intermingled with one another, weaving a tapestry of energy that flowed all around him.

  He turned his gaze to Sierra again, and there, he saw the strands of mana spiralling into her chest and coiling around her heart. The strands sucked inward in a mesmerizing spiral, and the rotation of the spiral shifted counter-clockwise as the remaining mana flowed outward from her heart. It appeared as though she was inhaling these multi-coloured strands of energy through her heart as if she was breathing mana from her heart.

Rudolf groaned, knocking his head in annoyance, and quipped, "If you're gonna stare that hard, get your own blasted wife, squeaky."

  Hans clutched his head in distress. The ruckus stirred Sierra from her slumber, and in no time, the old man was spilling the beans about Hans's supposed lewd activities, accusing the boy of gawking at her wife's chest.

Sierra turned to Rudolf, inquiring with a hint of teasing,

Is he already at that age?

Flushed with embarrassment, Hans vehemently refuted the allegations, but Rudolf wouldn't let up, teasing him relentlessly. Frustrated and agitated, Hans finally snapped and shouted, "Can't you see what's really happening here?"

  But Rudolf remained unconvinced, interpreting Hans' outburst as a pitiful attempt to dodge the conversation. Yet, Hans was not to be deterred and yelled again, this time with even more fervour.

There is light going in her heart. Gramps, you moron.

***