Alex and Timon fidgeted in their new tunics.

Turns out Pandora was a six-foot tall Amazonian-inspired woman – she was covered in bronze plate armour though one could see she was blessed muscularly as well as in the chest department.

“I didn’t make the game,” Timon whispered under his breath feeling Alex’s judgemental eyes on him.

Pandora’s shadow loomed over in front of them as she spoke, “I’m sure you heard that I’ll be training you for the mission. I need to know your capabilities before creating a training regimen.”

“Um, I’m sure you heard but I was mistakenly transported here. I’m not the hero.” Alex chimed in awkwardly.

“If you want to join the party, then you need to know how to fend for yourself. This isn’t a game. It’s life or death out in the wasteland. I don’t need my people trying to risk their life to save a weakling who isn’t prepared for the quest. You will only be holding the party back if you can’t keep up with them. Do I make myself clear?”

Alex nodded cowering under Pandora’s gaze – this was not what he had planned. He was supposed to prepare to set out for the borderlines today. One of King’s men who came back from that area to give updates was heading back to his post now. Alex was to hitch a ride with him. They were suppose to meet today – he was hoping one of the maids will come fetch him real soon.

“Laps, around the field. Go.”

Alex and Timon looked at each other – the sudden training session had caught them off-guard but Pandora’s silence was unnerving and so they began their abrupt training arc.

Pandora had them running around the field more times than they can count, throwing stones the size of their head around, and teaching them basic sword fighting techniques on a deceivingly heavy wooden sword. By the time they were done, they were heaving on the ground, tunics drenched in sweat. Alex couldn’t remember the last time he exerted himself like that – it was probably his mandatory gym class during high school which he supposed is why Timon fared better than him. The teenager was much taller and built compared to the engineer whose muscle atrophied from sitting at a desk all day trying to meet his academic deadlines.

“That was the warm up boys,” Pandora commented unimpressed. “Before we get started on the actual training, you need to know what we’re going up against.”

Pandora stuck out her hands, palm facing the sky and motioned it upwards. Simultaneously, the ground beneath Timon and Alex sprouted up creating a rectangular stool for each of them.

“Earth mages can manipulate the earth around us but we can’t create nor destroy it, we can only affect it. Do you know how we do this?”

“You utilise the life mana originating from the World Tree within you to affect the elements.”

Pandora nodded. “Someone has been doing their homework.”

Alex rolled his eyes before chiming in, “Does that mean anybody has the power to manipulate mana?”

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“Magic is an innate ability in that there are people able to tap and utilise their life mana and those that can’t even sense their own mana,” Pandora said matter-of-factly. “The only reason Timon can manipulate the elements is the Crown instilled the life mana of the first four mages allowing him a source to tap into – that’s why only he can affect all four elements.”

“So, hypothetically, you can instil mana into anyone and they can get-”

“-The power of the first four mages have long been lost to the World Tree. As you know the mana in the World Tree is dwindling hence the power over generations has decreased to what we know now and will continue to decline.”

Nothing new for an ordinary earthling, Alex thought though he would be lying if he wasn’t slightly disappointed that he couldn’t be a magician as well.

Pandora continued, “As legend goes, Aurelius, was able to affect every single landscape around us. As of now, we can only affect beneath the dirt”

“Beneath the dirt?” Timon asked. Alex surmised that this was something not covered in the game lore especially when there are no stats and experience points to level up.

“When you learn how to tap into your life mana, you’ll be able to sense the earth you can affect around you. The majority of the earth that you’ll be sensing is beneath us. We can’t affect the top layer off the ground – it’s much softer and more separate. But under this layer, is a more solid composition, that’s the ‘earth’ we manipulate. Using the life mana as fuel, you can begin to affect the shape and movement. The better and stronger you get the higher density of earth you can manipulate.”

She referring to the soil horizons, Alex thought.

Alex had learnt this in one of his geology classes – soil horizons are the parallel layers of soil profile covering the earth’s crust. The different compositions are classified into five layers. The topmost layers, what one would see on the forest floor, is made up of decomposing organic matter. Underneath this layer is topsoil which consist of both organic and decomposed matter. These two layers soft and porous and what Pandora is referring to as ‘soft and separate’. The third layer: subsoil, consists of less organic matter and more minerals such as sand and clay which have accumulated due to weathering and erosion. Hence, it is much harder and compact than the upper layers and what the Earth mages can manipulate more easily. The fourth and fifth layer consist of layers of bedrock which is the ‘high density earth’ that the mages can bend to their will by tapping into their life mana.

“If it takes me energy to do magic, does that mean I can only lift magically what I can physically?” Timon asked.

“While the rate of elemental lifting is proportional to your strength it is not directly equal. Life mana is the parent source that connects us to the World Tree and everything around us. Hence, we can tap into the World Tree to do some of the heavy lifting. The Earth Shrine for example will be able to utilise the life mana of Aurelius and manipulate the earth directly by hundreds of fold – that’s why you need to be able to protect yourself.”

“Wait, that means every time you connect to the life mana, you drain some of the World Tree.” Alex mused. Pandora merely nodded seemingly knowing where this would be going. “So, if you just stop using magic, the World Tree would be able to sustain itself.

“Yes and no. It’s isn’t that easy. The life mana is within all of us. It’s what makes us alive. Mage or not, all of us are constantly using life mana as we breathe this very instance.”

Eh, it was worth a try.

Pandora continued, “Now, enough stalling. Back to training-”

Like a saviour, the same maid from before had appeared before them and interrupted their torturous regime to speak with Pandora.

“Ah yes, I was prompted about this,” Pandora turned to Alex. “Johnny, one of my ex-subordinates from when I was in active duty is ready for departure.”

Timon perked up though he made no initiative to add any input. He was probably envious of Alex’s freedom.

Free at last!

Pandora smirked, “I’ll be sending him your training regime. He will be in charge of your training to make sure you don’t fall behind.”

“FU-”