I looked up and watched as the sky steadily turned grey.

I was still in my Light Magic projection form but it barely used any energy so I didn’t mind staying like this.

I looked down and saw that Mlezi, Ua and Jua were still soundly sleeping although, at various points in the night, Ua had awoken and cried.

She tried crying silently but the silence of the mountaintop made her whimpers painfully clear.

I wanted to allow her and her family to sleep a little longer but they didn’t have an eternity to hone their skills.

Life Magic couldn’t extend one's lifespan.

In excess, it was like Growth Hormone in that it could help a person grow faster and possibly stronger, with the chance of them becoming deformed.

It could also close wounds but it could not make a person live forever and so I took a non-existent breath and called out their names.

“Mmm?” Ua whimpered as she woke up.

I then told them that they would need to learn all I had to teach quickly because time was ticking.

They sleepily nodded in understanding before waking Jua up.

“Umm... I know that we have to act with haste but could we please quickly forage something for Jua to eat?” Ua asked making me raise a brow.

I had healed their wounds as they slept but I guess they still needed to eat.

It would also take a while for them to scrounge up some food and so I told them to sit still for a moment.

I then scanned the mountain and eventually found a groundhog.

I crushed its head using Gravity Magic and brought it to the clearing and placed it in front of me before willing my doll to come to me.

It did so promptly startling Mlezi and his family a little.

[Worry not. This is err... My avatar- yes! It is the actuator of my will.] I said while handing my doll the groundhog.

They apprehensively eyed my doll as it skinned the prey I’d caught.

I was technically piloting it while keeping my focus on them.

I gutted the hog before gathering a few stones and creating a fireplace which I cooked the boar over.

I had gathered some twigs and ignited them using Fire Magic although it could also be called Ignition Magic because you could create a ball of fire with it but also ignite a flammable material with it.

I then cooked the groundhog and served my pupils small pieces at a time but I noticed that, while Mlezi ate, he kept giving me a peculiar look.

[What is it?] I asked with a tilted head. My doll was standing completely still next to me and although I was worried that it would scare them to the point that they couldn’t eat, they did so without visible issue.

“Oh- it’s... What exactly are you, Lady Sav’ta? Are you a spirit from the Spirit Realm?” He asked after finishing her third piece of meat.

I remembered that I had failed to answer his question the night before.

My doll gave him another one while I tapped my chin.

I honestly didn’t know exactly what I was.

I knew I was a planet but I had a soul...

But where did souls come from?

Where did they go after death?

I didn’t know and neither did those fucking Pāttiram!

I sighed away my frustrations again and thought about how best to answer Mlezi’s question.

My eyes then widened a little as an answer came to mind.

“I am the mother of all things in this world,”

Mlezi nodded in understanding and although it was true that all life grew from me, I wasn’t the one who created it.

I had awkwardly missed the birth of my children but they didn’t have to know that.

Breakfast eventually concluded and we returned to studying.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

My pupils keenly listened to every word I said and watched every move I made.

It's a good thing I wasn’t self-conscious.

Apart from that, nothing else of note happened.

The sun began to set and I ended the lessons on language as a concept.

I wanted to give Mlezi a new arm but that would have to wait until he and the others were more comfortable with the idea of magic and its capabilities.

The three still sat glued next to each other with weary eyes and although I knew I couldn’t take away the pain that gnawed at their hearts, I wondered if I could distract them a little.

I wondered what activity would be best and arrived at the best possible conclusion.

[Have any of you ever thought of flying?] I asked with a smile but this just made them gasp.

“N-no, my Lady. That’s impossible. People can’t fly... Right?” Mlezi asked with a worried expression and Ua nodded repeatedly in agreement.

[True. People can’t fly normally but have you ever thought about it? What it would be like to soar above the trees?]

“Not at all-“

“I have,” Jua muttered while shying his eyes away from mine.

His parents turned their wide eyes to him but this was perfect.

[That’s good! Would you like to fly right now?] I asked making Ua’s expression worsen but it seemed as though Jua was interested in my proposal although he didn’t outright say it.

“How could we possibly fly? We don’t have wings?” Ua asked but I shook my head.

[Just answer my question. Do you want to fly?]

Ua turned to Mlezi who also had a panicked expression.

“N-no but thank you for your kind offer,” He said with a lowered head.

I was sorely disappointed and it looked like Jua felt the same way.

I wanted to show them dragons and how amazing they were but oh well.

[It's fine, really,] I said with a smile but it dimmed along with the sky as Ua’s expression stiffened.

“My son… is he now at peace... in the spirit realm?” She asked.

I didn’t know the answer but for some reason, I lied.

[Yes.]

A dull ache then gnawed at my chest as tears filled Ua’s eyes.

She then whispered two words that would follow me forever.

“Thank you .”

.

..

Night had fallen on the second day of my teaching and the troubled trio had once again fallen asleep.

Out of curiosity, I shifted my perspective all the way to their home.

It was empty and looked mostly untouched so I turned my attention to the Chofumah encampment.

It was mostly quiet although I heard echoes of Chazak’s sentiment.

The Chofumah felt as though the Umande were hoarding food and keeping it for themselves. There was also a conspiracy among them that the Umande knew the best hunting grounds but weren’t willing to share.

All this was baseless as the Umande were also suffering from a shortage of food but there was no way for the Chofumah to know that since the Umande didn’t allow them to enter their village.

As for the food shortage, too many of the animals on my surface were far too deadly to hunt as prey and smaller animals were armed with all kinds of defence mechanisms and injury was always possible.

The Umande wanted the Chofumah gone but none of them had it in their hearts to tell them to go out into the wilderness so both groups continued to tolerate each other.

I could’ve taken an easy-to-hunt animal and placed it near the two tribes in large numbers but I preferred for them to find their own solutions and if they couldn’t then maybe I would help.

I then remembered what Chazak’s men had said after leaving home.

They said they would be relocating to the southern side of the mountain and so I made my way there to find a handful of huts situated along a small stream near the foot of the mountain.

I returned to the summit to find that Mlezi and his family were still sleeping soundly in each other's arms.

This reminded me of a certain scene.

One where a mother tightly held onto her two children, a boy who had a cruel soul and a girl whose heart had enough room for just about anyone.

I shook my head and once again watched over Ua and Jua as they fell asleep.

.

..

A few days had passed and although Mlezi and his family had yet to get used to interacting with me, they were getting better at learning by themselves.

Like children in a classroom, they sat in front of the tablets and boards I had set up and they studied the words of their own language.

I had used the English alphabet from back on Earth and used it to teach them how their spoken words could be symbolically represented.

Now it was all about memorizing what they’d learnt and putting it to practice.

While they did that, I meditated on everything as few meters away from the group as they sat beneath the golden light of the setting sun.

I closed my eyes even though that didn’t do anything and ruminated on the state of my surface.

I was in my light projection form and floated mid-air with crossed legs.

Apart from the humanoids, Life was flourishing.

Both of my central continents were covered with vegetation and my oceans were teeming with life of all forms.

I would have advised that Mlezi and his family begin their ushering of a new age from the northern coast of the continent but that region was the home of the Pangolins so I kept my mouth shut.

The humanoids wouldn’t be able to do anything until they mastered the tactics necessary to take down those fierce fire breathers.

Speaking of the North, the Chofumah population had been significantly reduced. Those who remained were stuck between the Pangolins and the Kifo Valley and I didn’t really know which one was worse.

I then thought about the mighty dragons which flew above my oceans.

Great creatures filled to the brim with unimaginable amounts of life force.

I was still heartbroken by the fact that Mlezi had rejected my offer to take his family flying although I probably should’ve mentioned that we’d be flying atop dragons.

Speaking of Mlezi, I opened a single eye as he cautiously stood up.

He timidly walked up to me and stopped about three meters away with a lowered head.

“Err… my Lady. I just wanted to thank you for all you have done for my family and I.” He said.

“But… do you think that this sacred knowledge will help me protect my family?” He asked while Ua and Jua watched from afar.

It was here that I remembered that I wanted to give Mlezi a new arm and so I uncrossed my legs, making Mlezi wince a little.

“I-it’s not that I doubt your gifts, my Lady. I… just want to be sure.” He stuttered but I simply asked for his hand.

His face twisted with concern but I simply smiled.

He took a deep breath and placed his hand on mine and although he could not touch me, he could feel my warmth.

I then sent some Life Energy into him and he gasped as a new arm grew out from his shoulder.

Ua and Jua rushed to Mlezi’s side as he continuously and loudly gasped.

[You are right. You need more than knowledge to survive so I will also arm you with the means to both defend and attack. You will need to train your body and mind with the necessary techniques. Only then will you be able to protect your family from the harshness of this world.] I said while staring into Mlezi’s teary Eyes.

“Where do I begin?” He asked making me grin.

[Push ups!]