Leo

Berlin, Germany

“Oh, this sounds more and more like the novels I have read,” Leo commented excitedly.

“Oh, please. Of course, there is some grain of truth in fantasies thought up by simple men,” Heidi replied, sighing and thinking about how to continue.

“Next, when a mage forms a mana core, he also gains a rank. The rank is how mages are set apart in our society. Everyone usually starts as an apprentice with a gray core to grow into a mage, grand mage, master mage, and archmage, who usually has a blue core.”

“What about purple and white?”

“As I said, no one supposedly has a white core, as they would be considered a God or on a divine level. On the other hand, Purple is another matter. We know only one person holds such a core and is transcendent rank.”

“Let me guess, it is Merlin, from the old stories or someone like that,” proposed Leo, chuckling to himself.

“No,” Heidi replied seriously. “The only person who has reached such a level with time, effort, sacrifice, and betrayal is the current Pope of the Church.”

“What? That old bag of bones they show on TV? The one who visits children and mingles with celebrities?” Leo laughed, remembering the current pope.

“No, that is merely a puppet, a poser to put up a show for the masses, helping the Church to maintain its influence. The real pope of the Church is Judas Iscariot, and he is not a person you would like to meet. No one would. Not many people do meet him,” Heidi said seriously.

“Wow, wait a minute,” Leo paused. “Judas, like the Judas from the Bibble? The one who betrayed Jesus? What?”

“Yes, him. Do not believe everything they have written in that old and mistranslated book that has been circulating for so long. It contains some grain of truth. Judas did not bother to change it. He considers what the masses believe beneath him.”

“Alright, this is confusing. How does this affect me? I mean, the levels, stages, or whatever you call them?”

“What is important for you is that, as I said, you do not have a core - yet. Further, you continue to gather mana from around you and disperse it. It happens without apparent reason, as you are not trained to absorb mana. Next, the sole scale you operate with mana puts you far above apprentice rank and a gray core. It is just illogical.”

“That sounds pretty cool, actually,” Leo commented, getting excited. “If what you say is true and I am not dying tomorrow, I might get some awesome powers?”

“You are a fool,” Heidi answered dryly. “What you get is being a walking time bomb.”

“Why a bomb?” Leo deflated.

“Because… first of all, it is just a matter of time before you burst due to the amount of mana you continue to gather. Your body will not be able to hold it in. Second, you pose a threat to our whole system. The clans, the core system, and the spell structures were established for a reason. And that reason is Judas. He does not tolerate people who grow in power and do it quickly. It is an open secret that such people have disappeared over the years fairly quickly.”

“Damn it, does it mean I will be kidnaped at night and ground down to be some maniac’s cultivation resource?” Leo asked in horror.

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“Stop with the novel references. I am serious,” Heidi said. “No, that was before the witch hunts and inquisition. We do not know what happens to the individuals who the Church finds. They like to call people in your situation - heretics. That is because you awakened naturally, not by their methods. And because you are a natural, you are free, meaning that your core is not restricted to serve someone's will. You have your free will to use the magic as you wish.”

“What do you mean free will? Everyone has free will. It is a common understanding. A human right, if you understand,” Leo said.

“No, that is a lie muds like to tell themselves,” Heidi continued. “Sure, you can think in your head what you want. Maybe travel around the world, and make small choices, but in the end, you are not free. You are part of a system. One in which your circumstances will not change much.

“For muds it is easier as they only care about their financial and monetary status. They spend their few years alive playing monopoly with their lives. They think that the job, the money, and the respect they gain mean something. It does not, not in the grand scheme of things. They rob themselves of the future and freedom to become something more. The Church has made sure of that,” Heidi answered bitterly.

“That is a dark take on our lives,” Leo said after a short pause.

“Yes, but it gets worse for mages. We are not free. Our magic is restricted.”

“What do you mean? I saw you cast a spell without any restrictions,” Leo said and looked at the floor where he landed.

“I meant what I said. Casting structured spells is not freedom. It is mana put in a form. Spells are ways to utilize mana by using pre-defined spell forms made by the clans or the Church. And the worst part is that we cannot freely shape mana after our core is awakened and bound.”

“Why? It does not make sense. What stops mages from using mana freely?” Leo asked, baffled.

“Simple. During the core awakening process, there is a seal put on it. This seal blocks our ability to shape mana freely, restricting to use of spell forms. It is as if we are tools of the system established before us. Pawns to be used in games of the strong.”

“Why is manipulating mana freely a threat?” Leo asked.

“Because it enables individuals to grow and, more importantly, use magic freely. There are no hard limits to using mana, only one's will and diligence. And humans are nothing if diligent in the right circumstances. Imagine if a few individuals could manipulate to such a degree as splitting the sea in two. It would be chaos. That's why Judas enforced his system for years - to cull the chaos,” Heidi said.

“That sounds wrong. And it seems he introduced the system to fortify his position,” Leo said.

“Yes, I agree that it is wrong. But it does not change why he did it. Not a single mage has challenged the Church for the last seven hundred years. Judas is almost a god among men. His word is law, his might endless. No one can change that.”

“So what? Am I a threat? Because I am not under oath or something? I mean, it sounds like you think so. And why do we not know more about the mages? It sounds like Judas would have the power to take over the world at the very least,” Leo said.

“No, we do not think that. Should you fall in the hands of the Church, we think that you will be one among many to be shaped by them and serve mindlessly to their cause. My father believes that we can help you. That we can save you from the mana accumulation and that we can save you from the Church. Also, Judas does not care about a world filled with muds. Something larger is at play for him.”

“Why go to such lengths for me?” Leo asked, unsure of the true intentions of the Aer clan given the whole setup Heidi just dropped on him.

“Simple, we are just tired of the Church’s tyranny. And no one deserves to be subject to their methods. If we can help someone, we will. Even if that means defying them and risking discovery,” Heidi answered, smiling at Leo.

“Okay, so what next? You have made a pretty clear case for me, though I would still like to get back to my life,” Leo said, evaluating the information dumped on him.

“I thought you were going to flip out and run away,” Heidi said, surprised at how easily Leo took in everything.

Leo smiled shyly at her, “Of course not. Who do you take me for?”

“Alright,” she continued. “Then, I will need you to meet my father and get you up to speed with him before we try to form a core. Hopefully, we will make it in time before the bracelet stops working.”

“It does not sound like it will be that fun. When do I start learning spells?” Leo asked.

“Hold your horses. No, it will be fun - just not for you,” answered Heidi with a smile on her face, making Leo understand that life was not a fantasy novel where you got everything done in one day.