I awaken by a thud. The intensity of the light that seeped through the thatch had faded as the long-awaited night in this world finally decided to descend, and something was prowling around outside. Something scrapes the ground outside and rattles the boards of the shutter with long, prodding touches. I slide the wand from underneath my bag and ready it, without making any unnecessary movements.

The prodding touches stop, and the scraping against the ground outside followed the wall until it reached the front door, and I follow it with my wand There the prodding started again. The large, rusted bolt jolts back and forth and squeals loudly before stopping. A heavy musk fills the air as the scraping continues around the corner of the house, and follows the wall until it reaches the backdoor. There the prodding pushes continue, and then stop. The scraping fades away as whatever it was walks away.

Seconds pass and a horrifying scream shreds the silence. I had heard something similar; once, when a mountain lion prowled too close to my childhood home. My blood runs like ice through my veins, and I find myself shivering; despite the ever-present lukewarm air. I lay in the bed with my wand resting in my hand until the light filtering through the thatch regained its intensity. Only then, did I roll out of the bed.

I peek out from the gaps between the shutter’s slats. Only the waving grass, the gray stone circle peeking from it, and the white day greeted me. I reach into my backpack and pull out the bottle of water, and a package of crackers; I finish what water is left, and only half of the sleeve before putting it back in the box in the bag. It was Christmas morning back on Earth. I wonder if anyone is thinking of me. My parents probably don’t even notice I’m gone, and I haven’t spoken to my brothers in years. I count the provisions I have left. Three sleeves of crackers, four cans of soup. I wonder if I could get away with staying cooped up here until my provisions run out.

My plan for the day was this: find out how my magic works. Whenever I’ve used one of the elemental spells, I felt some surge of energy through my body. I’ve never really paid much attention to it, so I decided for the next couple of days I will. Perhaps, by doing so, I’d be able to better understand how magic works.

I stretch out my back and buckle the gauntlets to my arms. It takes a bit longer, as I still can’t grasp things completely with my right hand. I suppose that’s where I’ll start. I recite the incantation for lesser heal and tap my forehead and my stomach. A warmth floods through me, and the pain is lessened by a little in my hand. I do the spell again, this time I focus on how the warmth flows. It begins at the top of my head and pours down like warm water flowing through me...

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A headache splits my concentration. What the hell? Only two? I look to the Shard on my wrist.

“Mana sensitivity has increased to 2/999.”

So that was Mana? I tap my wand against the top of my head and wait for the throbbing headache to stop. When it finally does, minutes later, I start again.

“By the light of Yahweh...” I tap my forehead and then my gut and close my eyes.

The warmth once again starts at the very top of my head and pours down my spine, and spreads out to every inch of my body. Once, again the pain in the hand that grasps the wand lessens to a tiny degree. It feels like a lot of the ‘mana,’ flowing into me is wasted; though the lesser aches and pains that exist as a result of my obesity — the pain in my knees, hips, and lower back, are certainly gone, wouldn’t it be better if all of the mana poured into my hand? I wonder if I could redirect all of that wasted mana.

“By the light of Yahweh...”

I begin again. The warm energy pours its way through me, and I try to will it rightward as it travels down my spine. I feel it bulge as if I were placing my finger in front of a flowing faucet, yet it corrects its path and continues on its way. The splitting headache returned, and I stagger where I stand. Was there progress? Maybe. I’ll keep at it. I felt it move, I know I did. I had at least three days before all of my food was gone, and with my gut, another day on top of that, and might do me some good.

For the next six hours, I repeat these actions. Heal, try to force the mana into my right hand, and recover from the headache. After two hours, I had gained 6 levels in Lesser Heal up to 21/999, 2 levels in Healing Affinity, up to 12/999, 1 level in Magic Affinity, up to 6/999, 4 levels of Mana Sense up to 6/999, and finally gained my first level of Mana Manipulation 1/999.

When I finally force the mana down to my right hand, briefly, it feels as if I dumped it into a vat of acid, until all the pain I still felt faded as the energy melds into my bones. The faded, diamond shape scar vanishes, and I am left with soft, tender, hairless flesh where it had been. I wonder if I’d be able to use this on another person. How do you feel the flow of mana in another person?

Due to gaining the ability to control Mana, you gain +1 to your magic stat. Comes a message across the Shard.

I sigh. Sweat stained my collar. I didn’t know magic took that much energy out of me. I sit on the side of the bed and drink what little water is left, then go outside for the first time that day. I tie the bottle around the rope, lower it into the well, pull it up once I feel it’s full, and take another heaping drink before I go back inside and slip it into the backpack. I flip the wand over in my hand and step outside. Time to do this all over again. I sigh and rub my head as I wait for the vestiges of the last headache to pass.