The Inquisitor was waiting for them under the branches of the millennia-old tree. He seemed somewhat lost in thought as he fiddled with a fallen petal from the tree.
Upon hearing Ash and Fionna’s footsteps, he lifted his head to look at them.
“Hello, Sir Hawken.” Fionna bowed her head slightly. She seemed relaxed and content, not at all nervous and on edge like Ash.
“It’s good to see you well, Fionna.” Inquisitor Victor said with a faint smile. He glanced at Ash, then turned around to look at the High Tower. “Professor Maple’s wounds have forced him to take a step back from teaching your class, and none of the other professors in the High Tower Academy have the time in their already busy schedules to take over for him.”
The Inquisitor turned around, facing them. “So, I will be aiding you to the best of my abilities until Professor Maple is able to return.” He declared. Fionna’s eyes widened, while Ash simply shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
“We get to learn from you?!” Fionna exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement. Inquisitor Victor chuckled. “I suppose you could say that. We’ll start tomorrow when the Spire lights up. Maya and the others should finish absorbing their mana hearts by then, so make sure they come too.” He pointed at the millennia-old tree. “We’ll meet here. Don’t be late.”
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“This is a bad idea.” Kira stated, watching the city from the window in Victor’s office. “Those kids are useless.”
Victor shot her a sharp glance. “One of those kids is my daughter, you know.” He turned his gaze back at the map of the Empire spread across his desk. Several spots were marked with circles and crosses.
“Exactly.” Kira tapped her long nails on the windowsill. “She is mana blind. Useless.”
Victor glared daggers at her. “You’re underestimating all of them.” Maya was admittedly the least impressive out of everyone in that class. The Auctioneer’s son, Leon Fang was a prodigy. His control over his mana despite being a commoner was beyond just impressive. Damien came from a long line of warrior mages – he inherited their techniques and power. Fionna’s golden mana was one of the most vibrant he had ever seen, though she had little to no faith in herself.
“You’re overestimating them.” Kira replied with a flat, emotionless voice. “The Apostle was in the palm of your hand, and you let her escape – and for what? A commoner’s life? A child with grey mana – with no prospects in his future.” She turned around, her falcon-like gaze met Victor’s. “Your past haunts you, Victor. That child was touched by Soul Magic. He has no future, just like how your daughter has none. Accept it already!”
It hurt to hear. Maya had a future – he just needed to find a way to cure her mana blindness. That was the only reason he even entertained Maple’s ridiculous theories about the old burial grounds. If he had a way to cure Maya, Victor would do almost anything to make it happen.
“Watch your words, Kira.” He hissed. “I do not have the patience of a saint.”
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Fionna’s excitement was palpable as they made their way back to the dorms. “We’re going to learn from an Inquisitor!” She exclaimed as soon as they entered the common room. She hopped up and down, unable to contain her excitement. “Can you believe it?! I wonder how many secrets he’ll teach us!”
Ash forced a smile. He couldn’t bring himself to be excited. Fionna was almost ready to receive a mana heart while he wasn’t anywhere close to it. The void he felt was as hungry and as empty as ever.
“What are you talking about?” Maya’s voice startled them both. They quickly turned towards her, only to see her laying on the couch, a book in her hand. Ash couldn’t help but wonder why he kept being startled by this – one of the girls reading on the couch had become a quite common occurrence in the past weeks.
“Maya!” Fionna shouted. She ran across the room, vaulted over the back of the couch, and practically threw herself at Maya. “You did it!” She said with a beaming smile. “Show us, come on!”
Ash raised his eyebrows as Maya stood up. “Ok, ok, calm down.” She said with a shy smile. A crimson glow appeared around her, focused within her hands she clenched in front of her chest. Then, she pulled her hands apart. The bright glow materialised into a nearly completely round object – a crimson crystal, her celestial mana heart.
“Whoa!” Fionna leaned in closer to look at it.
It was slightly larger than a child’s skull, and its crystalline surface had very few planes. As with all Celestial mana hearts, Maya’s was also almost a completely smooth orb. The heart itself had no colour, but within it, Ash could see crimson and red flames roaring, fuelling Maya’s mana.
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“It’s beautiful.” He muttered, prompting Fionna to vigorously nod. “It really is!” She exclaimed. “Maya, I’m so happy for you!” She hugged her friend, breaking her focus and causing the mana heart to vanish.
Soon, Damien and Leon also emerged from their rooms. They both had also succeeded in absorbing their mana hearts.
“It feels really weird,” Leon explained as they all sat around the fireplace. “It’s like I have this extra limb.” His mana wobbled around, only to dissipate as soon as it stretched too far from him. “And moving it around is exhausting.” He added, wiping the bead of sweat rolling down his chin.
Damien didn’t seem to be having as much trouble as Leon. “It will take time to get used to it. You do essentially have a new organ – your mana heart is like a second mind – you need to train it to be able to use your mana effectively.” He glanced at Maya. “You’re not finding it too difficult either, right?”
Maya shook her head. “No, but mine is a Celestial mana heart. It’s expected that I have an easier time adjusting than you two.”
“Lucky.” Leon whined, then leaned back and closed his eyes. “I wish I had gotten a celestial one too…”
Fionna chuckled. “That would have been nice.” It was everyone’s dream to get a Celestial Mana Heart as their first after all. The first mana heart would become the foundation of their future as a mage. The stronger the foundation, the easier it was to grow stronger. They spent some more time chatting, then went to sleep as they all had to be up early the next day.
All five of them had just arrived at the millennia-old tree when the light of the Spire began to illuminate the world once more. Even though its life-giving light was blocked by the High Tower, Ash still felt a faint, distant warmth indicating the night was over.
Watching the distant rays of golden light, he took a deep breath. “It will start getting colder soon.” He muttered. The wisps of mana usually accompanying the Spire’s light were few and far between. The nourishment it provided to the world was about to lower by a drastic amount.
“Really?” Maya tilted her head. “I think we still have a few weeks before autumn.”
Ash simply nodded. It was certainly sooner than the past years he remembered, but not by much. Besides, it hardly mattered – mages visited the remote towns and villages when a winter proved to be too long, and used their own mana to nurture the crops, providing the towns with food and goods.
“It won’t be a short winter like the last few years.” A deep, authoritative voice startled them. Inquisitor Victor stepped out from behind the millennia-old tree. “Maya, young Lord Galor, Leon Fang, allow me to congratulate you - receiving your first mana hearts at such a young age is quite the accomplishment.”
“Thank you, sir.” Damien bowed. Maya simply smiled, while Leon looked at him wide eyed, like he couldn’t find the words he was looking for.
“From what I understand, Professor Maple has had you find suitable places in these flower fields to meditate. While it is an unorthodox method of cultivation, there is nothing wrong with it. However,” He raised his chin, and looked at each one of them. “A strong foundation means a powerful future. And mana hearts alone are not enough to provide that foundation. A strong mind needs a strong body, and that is what we will focus today.”
Maya’s shoulders immediately dropped while the Inquisitor continued. “Maya was lucky to be able to absorb a Celestial mana heart – had she made a single mistake, it would have consumed her, possibly burning her future away. Ideally, all the future mana hearts you will receive to strengthen yourselves will be at least Celestial, so we must first make sure you are all capable of safely absorbing them.” He folded his arms and watched them with a faint smile.
“Now, you will follow this path,” He pointed at the narrow dirt path they had followed to come here. “And you will walk it until you arrive back at this tree. And you will walk with a fast pace. Begin!”
No one thought to complain or protest. Not when faced with that hawk-like gaze that glared at them. They began their walk with a brisk pace, only pausing rarely when a branch or something else blocked the dirt road. They pushed those obstacles aside and continued.
It didn’t take them long to circle back to the millennia-old tree, neither did they feel particularly tired. “Again.” The Inquisitor said when they arrived, sending them back to walk the path once more. “Again!”
Hours passed as they walked, their feet hurt, their legs ached, and when they arrived at the millennia-old tree for the last time, Fionna collapsed, along with Maya. Damien caught Ash’s arm as his steps also became unbalanced, and Leon crouched on the ground.
“Get some rest.” The Inquisitor said, opening his eyes. He had been sitting just outside the aura of the tree, meditating. “We will continue in an hour.”
Ash staggered towards the tree and sat down between its roots. Its fallen leaves and petals had created a sort of cushion over the cold earth. He leaned his back on the reddish-brown trunk of the tree and closed his eyes.
He was used to walking long distances with a brisk pace, so his feet didn’t ache like the girls’, but he still felt exhausted. It had been quite a while since he walked around the perimeter wall of the Serenpetal fields. He wasn’t used to such long walks anymore – especially not after almost dying to Soul Magic.
He took a handful of fallen petals from the ground. They were soft to the touch and cool. Freshly fallen, they were still brimming with mana, though it was quickly dissipating. “Like Serenpetals…” He muttered as he let all but one of them fall off his palm. Without thinking, he threw the last remaining one in his mouth.
Immediately he felt a refreshing wave of mana wash over him. He chewed the petal, narrowing his eyes as the sour taste made them water. Straightening his back, he closed his eyes and cycled his mana, letting the petal’s mana flow into the hungry void in his abdomen.
What pulled him out of his meditation was the sharp voice of a woman. “They spotted her, near the southern wall. She was leaving the graveyard and wore a mask over her eyes and the left side of her face.” Ash opened his eyes to see Kira standing next to Inquisitor Victor. She pointed southward. “We need to hurry if we’re to catch up with her.”
The Inquisitor nodded, though the scowl on his face made it clear he wasn’t looking forward to it. “Alert the children that I’m leaving, then catch up with me.” His crimson mana spread around him, forming complex patterns Ash hadn’t seen before. The patterns formed around his legs as he began to run.
Fast, Ash thought as the Inquisitor left his field of vision within just a few breaths. His gaze then turned to Kira, and the wisps of white mana floating around her ankles.
He was sure of it – that was white. Pure, clear white.