Leo and Heidi

Alea’s cabin, Germany

Heidi blinked a few times and then laughed, Seb joining her in a second. “Leo, that is a silly question,” she said.

“Indeed it is, boy. Did you think that because mana existed in the world, dragons hid away somewhere?” Seb laughed and rubbed his eye, where a tear of joy squeezed out.

“What? I think that is a valid question,” Leo responded, crossing his arms. “I mean, if werewolves are real, then why wouldn’t other creatures of myth be too?”

“Fair point,” Heidi said and sipped her tea. “It is a bit more complicated than that. The legends you have read and heard about are only partially based on facts. Not all of the creatures are real. However, some are hiding away or have been integrated into our society and thus yours.”

“So, which ones?” Leo looked at her with expectation.

“Let’s start with the most common, I guess,” she said and mentally counted. “First, vampires and werewolves. Those are as real as they can get. Mutated humans who encountered a virus which was created a long time ago in a bizarre magical ritual.”

“So pop culture is right?” Leo interrupted.

“Well, partially, yes. Vampires need to feed on human blood. They prefer mage blood, which contains more mana and grants them greater boons. However, as you can imagine, it is not easy to access it. And no, before you ask, they do not sparkle,” Heidi sighed.

“Vampires are long-lived and have enhanced strength and speed. The sun adversely impacts them, but they do not burn in it. At least the old ones do not. The youngest will still burn if they stay in the sun long enough.”

“Do they form covens and walk around in leather?” Leo asked, smiling.

“Well, not exactly. They do have their society, but no covens. As for werewolves, they are nature's way of balancing things out. We believe they appeared simultaneously when some foolish mages tried to create means to live forever by using magic. The result was the creation of the first vampire and werewolf.”

“How do they differ exactly? You mentioned that there is one still alive since the middle ages?” Leo asked, curious.

“The main difference is simple. Vampires multiply by going through a simple ritual. You probably have heard about the bite, but that alone is not enough. They have to share their blood with their victims as they die. Vampires can theoretically live forever but are mostly killed on their own in petty fights or by hunters or werewolves.

“Wolves, on the other hand, are mostly born. The born ones are weaker than their forefathers, but there are many of them. Their bite can also convert a simple human easily. Wolves tend to have extended lifespans, enhanced strength, senses, and the usual you have heard.

And yes, they can transform into a wolf-human hybrid which is a gruesome sight, while vampires are distinguishable only by their pale skin. The only issue is that the born wolves do not live forever. Slightly over a hundred years. Their alphas are a different story. They retain their power for long years, and few remain around.”

“So, vampires live forever, suck human blood for ambient mana and multiply as they want, while werewolves are more restricted?” Leo asked.

“Yes, in short. Believe me, their history and society are quite interesting and a separate subject we could talk about for hours, but that is the gist.”

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“Can a mage become one of the two or both?”

“You do not want to go there, boy,” Seb interrupted and opened a beer. “We are not sure what it depends on, but once the mage creates his mana core, he cannot join either of their camps. The transformation kills them. Since the original ritual was lost, mages no longer can gain vampiric or wolfish traits.”

“Then wolves and vampires pose a threat to mages?” Leo asked, surprised that the Church had not eradicated them.

“No. First of all, there are not so many of them. There are less than ten thousand wolves and vampires worldwide, scattered. The Church in the middle ages culled most of the populace, as the vampire dukes and pack leaders at the time were at almost all the time at war. The Church had them behaving under their thumb within a few years.”

“What? So they work for them now?”

“Not exactly. With them would be the term, I believe. See, there are treaties in place. A peaceful agreement between all the factions; mage clans, the Church, and the supernaturals. Everyone understands the need to keep it down low and coexist in order not to raise waves. No one wants to have the second middle age on their hands and wars,” Seb explained, finishing his beer.

“Okay, that is a bit complicated,” Leo said and stretched. “Are they the only ones? I mean, supernaturals from legends? Surely there are others? Angels, demons, ghosts, yeti, mermaids?” Leo counted.

Seb sighed, and Heidi chuckled before saying, “Indeed there are, Leo. However, it would take us most of the month to go over all of them.”

“So angels and demons? They exist?”

Seb’s mood soured visibly, saying, “We do not raise this topic often. There is no parallel world or entry to hell or heaven. Those are myths the Church came up with those myths to go along with its agenda.

However, there is talk among the oldest of us that some higher beings are not of this world. But from the broader cosmos. Such entities visited Earth thousands of years ago. We call them Anjos and Daemons.”

“What are they? Where did they come from?” Leo asked, intrigued.

“No one knows exactly. There are only stories. Legends passed among our people. The belief is that once we were visited by higher beings, the Anjos. They granted us the gift of magic, brought mana to our world, and gifted humans the ability to cast magic. However, these beings were not alone in the universe. Daemons, looking to dominate all creation, opposed the Anjos and hunted down every world where they introduced magic and took it over.”

“So where are they now?” Leo asked, not understanding how there could be some higher existence that did not bother with earth.

“No one knows. The legend says that there was a great war on earth that reshaped the world. After this war, the Anjos and Daemons vanished. Though mana stayed, humans evolved to live with it and develop themselves,” Seb finished thoughtfully.

“Then why did the Church include the concept of heaven and hell in their scriptures? What use is there for the common man to believe that a higher power exists?”

“I believe because their Pope encountered such a being,” Seb answered, opening another beer. “It would make the most sense.”

“Then what is their end goal? I mean, why does the Church spreads its fingers in society and gathers so many under its banner? It cannot be only about money and influence?”

Seb grunted in agreement and thought for a minute, “We do not know. What their agenda is a closely kept secret between the Pope, bishops, and the head of the Church. In the clans, we always thought that their agenda was related to advancement. It is a well-known fact that the saturation of mana has fallen over the years.

“Thus, it is easy to connect the dots that not many new mages are born, and it is harder and harder to awaken new ones. I am content to live what is left of my years with a blue core as long as I will manage. Others, as you can understand, are not okay with that. I can just imagine what is going on in the Pope’s head. He must have hit a bottleneck that he will not be able to pass. Desperate men make desperate decisions,” Seb sighed.

“I believe that is enough, uncle,” Heidi interrupted them and stood up to gather the dishes. “A bit of a grim talk, is it not?”

“I agree. There is no need for you to concern yourself with myths and legends, boy. You are too young for that and must enjoy the joys of magic while you can. Get stronger as quickly as possible. We will not be able to hide away in this shack forever.”

“I agree,’ Heidi said from the kitchen. “I will help you tomorrow to go over the things in the basement.”

“Thank you,” Seb nodded.

“Well, I will continue with my training then. Will see if I can cast that first spell, not knowing the affinity,” Leo shared with the group. “What about Evan?”

Hearing his name, Evan said sleepily, “I would rather rest tomorrow and help out in the dungeon you found. Enough training today, thank you very much.” He got up from the chair and stretched. “So what did I miss?”