14 - Manashards

The first thing Valrion noticed upon entering the kitchen was that everyone’s gazes were still as distant as they had been the night before. The next thing he took in was the room itself. After being struck by the basket, he hadn’t fully absorbed its layout, as his mother had hurried through it, and his eyes were blurry from tears.

Now, he could see everything clearly: a cooking hearth with two cauldrons built into one wall, glowing brighter than the lanterns hanging around the room. Next to the hearth stood a row of cupboards and shelves, while on the opposite side, sacks of grains and vegetables were stored. Adjacent to the kitchen was a doorless dining area with a table in the center and two long benches, enough to seat up to eight people.

What deserved a special mention was a large, square counter, upon which lay a folded rug and a small knife. It was positioned too close to the hearth for comfort, especially since it was made of wood. If left unsupervised, he wouldn’t be the one burning the house down, but at the same time, he understood why it was there: to accommodate a brazier that had been set right in the middle of the space.

“Should we start the Aptitude Test now?” Firmus asked. Everyone had been scattered around the kitchen but quickly gathered closer to the brazier, almost forming a perfect circle.

So, the mana testing event was called the Aptitude Test, and his father had been funding groups to prevent these tests from taking place. It seemed, however, that neither his family nor the Liberators were entirely opposed to the idea, as they were now subjecting him to it. The test allowed the government to identify who were elemental wielders and who were not. The Liberators must not have wanted that.

Could the escapees be those who fled after being identified as elemental wielders? How did the government treat them? Were they killed on the spot, and was that why his family was so terrified of his elemental power? That couldn’t be the case since there were evokers who seemed to be officially working for the kingdom.

What if the escapees were those who didn’t want to be part of the Evokers? Where were the Twelve Eidolons in all of this?

Valrion could feel he was almost there—so close to finding the answer—but he couldn’t ponder for long when Octavia grabbed a burning stick from the hearth and used it to light the brazier before carefully returning it. Red flames erupted, but they weren’t fueled by the usual wood or charcoal. Instead, a collection of pebbles at the bottom glowed with a vibrant blue. Though varying in size, each one was perfectly spherical.

They must be manashards, and they were quite a sight to behold. He would spend some time wondering about their origin—whether they were human-made or had something to do with the eidolons—but his stomach dropped when Sergius grabbed the knife from the counter and approached him.

He had witnessed all kinds of bizarre rituals in Eru, but his mind gravitated toward the worst possible scenario: Sergius was about to cut a piece of his flesh and offer it to the fire. Either the pebbles or the flames would change color. The thought was utterly sickening. After a thousand years, this was how the Eruvians tested mana?

It could be his hair instead of his flesh. This family had treated him kindly. His mother was devastated when he developed a minor bump, and his father had been looking anxious, even now. One wound hadn’t been healed yet, so they wouldn’t do something to hurt him severely, would they? But what if they were willing to risk it since this was a one-time thing?

“Not you. Let me do it,” Valrion’s father announced, stopping Sergius in his tracks. Sergius flipped the knife so the handle would face Valrion’s father and offered it to him.

The man walked toward Valrion and his mother, guiding them closer to the brazier. She took two small steps forward until the distance between them was almost nonexistent. The flames were low, reaching only an inch above the mouth of the container, so no one would get burned as long as they weren’t careless.

His father slightly furrowed his brows as he grabbed Valrion’s left hand and made a small cut on the heel, the part furthest away from the thumb. Valrion flinched, letting out a little squirm of shock, but he didn’t cry—he hadn’t been crying much lately. Confusion overwhelmed him as he watched his father hover his hand above the brazier, letting a few drops of blood fall.

As soon as blood made contact with the manashards, the flames turned white for about three seconds before gradually returning to red and yellow. Valrion was relieved that all they needed was blood, but it seemed everyone else in the room felt anything but that. Seeing the surprise on their faces, he understood what the result meant: white meant positive.

Several reactions occurred all at once afterward.

Valrion’s father gripped the knife tightly, his eyes burning with anger as if he might combust and merge with the fire. Octavia snatched the folded cloth from the table and rushed to Valrion, quickly wrapping it around his bleeding palm. Fina stood with her mouth wide open while Sergius chuckled and shook his head. Valrion’s mother and Firmus were silent—too stunned to speak, it seemed.

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“What are the odds?” Sergius’ bewildered expression made it clear he wasn’t laughing in joy. “I can’t believe I’m witnessing a miracle with my own two eyes! I wonder what the kingdom would do if they learned about this!”

“What should—we must do something about this. Firmus, what should we do now?” Valrion’s mother asked. Valrion had expected her to be more frantic than during the incident with Sergius, but she sounded surprisingly calm. It was highly probable she had anticipated the existence of his mana, which should explain her demeanor.

“First of all, you can’t keep him in the same room as you,” Firmus suggested. “He needs a safer place, somewhere fire-resistant, or he might burn this house down when you least expect it. I wasn’t joking when I said I’m the most concerned about that.”

“Should we build a new room for him? That might take some time,” Fina said.

Firmus surveyed every corner of the kitchen before his gaze landed on Valrion’s father, who still stood frozen in place. “This kitchen should be fine.”

“This kitchen?” Valrion’s mother’s voice was almost like a whisper.

“You heard me right,” Firmus confirmed. “Look around. The kitchen is made of bricks and has a hearth. Don’t you realize your son is clever enough to target the fireplace? Did any of you ever light it up when he was around?”

Everyone, except Valrion’s father, shook their heads.

Firmus shrugged. “It could be a coincidence, then. Regardless, he’s truly something.”

“He needs a safe medium to practice with—something, anything that’s not a living being,” Sergius added. Hearing that, Valrion could only apologize.

Firmus waved two fingers toward Sergius. “Precisely. We need to minimize the risk of him hurting others, and that won’t happen if we leave him upstairs in a bedroom primarily made of wood. He must learn to master his power before he’s let out into the world. That means you can’t just take him to the market or any public places until then. He can visit my house, but maybe when he’s a little older.”

“Where should we cook?” Fina asked.

“Outdoors in the meantime,” Sergius answered right away. “It shouldn’t be hard for Cassius to build another room—”

“Aren’t you a little too excited, Firmus?” Valrion’s father cut in. “A guaranteed future soldier for you, is he?”

Firmus glared at the man before spitting, “What are you getting at?”

“Don’t ask something you already know,” Valrion’s father replied, his gaze no less terrifying.

Firmus laughed, rubbing his head. “I know you’ll just make Valrion take over your workshop. That, if we can even keep his identity a secret for that long. You know most elemental wielders we try to protect end up getting caught.”

Valrion didn’t mishear. Firmus’s words clearly indicated that there was something unfavorable about possessing elemental powers. A moment ago, Sergius had also hinted at what the kingdom might do if they discovered his secret. However, Valrion couldn’t go with the theory that the kingdom was eradicating every elemental wielder because of the existence of evokers.

Not only was his hand stinging from the slash, but parts of his head that weren’t swollen were also pounding with numbness.

[Level: 2]

[EXP: 110/115]

[Health: 249/281]

[Mana: 25/25]

His health deteriorated due to the Aptitude Test, and [Status: Injured] appeared again. He had also expected [Status: Confused] or [Status: Dizzy] to pop up, but he would have laughed if they did.

“None of you are to tell anyone.” Valrion’s father said, taking a heavy breath before looking deeply into everyone’s eyes, even his own wife. “Not even your closest friends, your spouse, or the person you trust with your life. No one. If this were to leak, it would be easy to figure out who betrayed us.”

Firmus placed his hands on his thighs. “You didn’t have to remind us. We know.”

Valrion’s father glowered at Firmus before quietly excusing himself from the room. As he passed by Valrion, their eyes met for a brief moment, but he quickly looked away as if he couldn’t bear to look at his son. Valrion might have been bothered by it, but messages showed up in front of him, demanding his full attention.

[Personal Quest unlocked: Father of All]

[Main Quest updated: A New Era]

[EXP +25]

[Level 2 > Level 3]

[Health increased to 286]

[Mana increased to 27]

[A New Era

➤ There’s something off about how elemental wielders are treated in Eru. It seems your family is trying to protect them, including you, from the government, but you can’t put your finger on what it is. At least you know that’s why they don’t seem too thrilled about your power.]

[Father of All

➤ You don’t know much about your father, but he strikes you as a man of high complexity with goodwill veiled beneath the surface. You’re determined to unravel the mysteries of his life.]