As I took in the desolate landscape before me, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and fear. The Nexus Dungeon stretched out before us, an endless expanse of barren land and twisted rock. The sky above was a dim purple, swirling with dark clouds that seemed to writhe and twist as if alive. In the distance, I could hear the sound of lightning crashing against the ground, sending plumes of molten earth into the air.

"This is the dungeon?" I asked, unable to hide the shock in my voice.

"Yes, this place is called the Elemental Plane of Din," Mama replied, shaking her head. "It's a dry and lifeless expanse, filled with high concentrations of lightning and decay mana. No sane person would ever choose to live here."

"Then why are we here?" I asked, feeling a sense of unease wash over me.

"We'll just be passing through," Mama assured me, reaching out to take my hand and placing a small, glowing bead in my palm. "Give it a bit of mana, just like before."

I closed my eyes and focused on my core, feeling the familiar tingling sensation as my aura drained. After a few moments, an orb of light appeared before us, floating away until it stopped about 20 meters in front of us.

"Lesson three," Mama began, her voice grave. "This is a dungeon sprite. It will guide us to our destination, but there are some important safety measures to keep in mind when using a sprite. First and foremost, remember that we are not the only ones who can see the sprite. Many dungeon monsters have learned to seek out floating lights as an easy meal. Second, always keep your eyes on your sprite, and never trust a sprite you haven't cast yourself. I've heard stories of dungeoneers being killed by traps and monsters that use fake sprites to lure them in. Finally, do not blindly follow the sprite into harm’s way. If something seems wrong, change course. Sprites are mindless, they exist to guide the caster along the shortest path to their destination, regardless of the danger that lies along the way."

I couldn't believe what mama was telling me. Navigating this bizarre, supernatural place meant following a glowing beacon that basically advertised our presence to all the terrifying monsters lurking in the shadows. And yet, there were monsters here, creatures that I knew nothing about except that they seemed to eat people.

"This place is nuts," I muttered, staring at the empty landscape. But I also had a floating ball pet, so I couldn’t complain too much.

"Hey mama," I asked, trying to distract myself from my growing anxiety. "Can I make this sprite change colors and blink and stuff?"

Mama chuckled, her voice filled with amusement. "Certainly. It can follow most verbal instructions. Give it a try, but keep in mind that whenever you change its behavior, you'll need to give the dungeon bead a little bit more mana."

I played with the sprite for a few minutes, trying out different sizes, colors, and movements, summoning and dismissing it a few times. "This is like having my own little disco ball!" I exclaimed, grinning at the twirling sprite in front of me.

"All right, lesson three is over," mama said, her voice laced with exhaustion. "We need to get moving and hopefully make it to the next area before we stop for a rest. Although this place is free of any monsters, the lightning here is far too dangerous for us to set up camp."

As if the Elemental Plane itself was trying to drive the point home, a bolt of lightning struck just fifty meters ahead of us, sending shockwaves through the ground and shaking me to my core. I quickly summoned the sprite and followed it as it led us down the craggy bluff and onto the scorched plains below.

******

After what felt like an eternity trudging through the parched, rocky wasteland, Mama finally stopped beside a rise in the land, panting heavily. The orb floated past her to a conspicuous pile of massive boulders and began hovering in circles around them.

Mama pulled out a water bottle and took a few large gulps before turning to me. "This is it," she said, still trying to catch her breath.

I looked at her skeptically. "What do you mean?"

She motioned for me to follow her and we walked around the pile until she pointed to a small opening under one of the rocks. I sent my sprite in to provide enough light to see what was inside and found an entrance to a cave underneath the boulders. We made our way through the tunnel for about ten minutes until we reached a small opening with daylight streaming in.

I raised an eyebrow and looked at Mama. We were deeper underground than when we started, but just ahead it looked brighter than it had on the surface. What kind of twisted, surreal place was this, where the deeper you went, the brighter it became? I couldn't shake the feeling of unease as we approached the opening and stepped out into the light.

We approached a glass door that had to have come directly from an office building, and through the glass and past a distorted logo was a modern city street.

"What? How? It's outside." I marveled.

"The Nexus Dungeon is a gateway to many different planes; this next one doesn't have a name, but as you can see it is closely related to Earth." Mama said in a serious tone.

I opened the door and stepped outside, finally leaving the cave of the Elemental Plane of Din behind me. But the moment my eyes adjusted, I found myself confronted with a city in ruins.

“Wait Lyn!” Mama yelled behind me.

The dust that blanketed the ruined city was thick and suffocating, clinging to my skin and clothes as we made our way through the desolate streets. The twisted metal and broken concrete seemed to blend together in a blur of destruction, punctuated only by the occasional rat scurrying between the rubble. But it was the human skeletons that lay scattered throughout the city that truly sent a shiver down my spine. This place was a graveyard, a reminder of the horrors that had befallen a once thriving metropolis.

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"Stay close to me Lyn. Don't run off like that ever again," Mama said, her voice laced with anger. "This place is dangerous, and we need to be careful."

I deflated and nodded in agreement.

As we walked through the desolate city, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The crumbling buildings seemed to loom over us, their broken windows and hanging doors a testament to the destruction that had befallen this place. Mama's face was grim as we followed the glowing sprite down a street littered with rubble. I couldn't help but wonder what horrors she had seen on her previous visits to this place.

After about thirty minutes of walking, we approached a collapsed highway overpass. The scene was littered with unfamiliar car-like vehicles in various states of rust and decay. I approached one of the five-wheeled machines to take a closer look, but Mama placed a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"Shhhh… Send the sprite towards the overpass, and don't make a sound." She said, gripping my hand and pulling me towards a nearby building. "There's something nearby."

We quickened our pace, trying to put as much distance between us and whatever was stalking us. Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed over us, blocking out the dim light of the sky. I gasped, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Shit! It's a grim," Mama hissed, her voice barely above a whisper. "We need to hide."

We ducked into an abandoned shop, pressing ourselves against the wall as the creature passed by, its massive feet pounding the ground. It seemed to take an eternity for the creature to pass, and I held my breath, praying it wouldn't hear us. Finally, it was gone, and we let out a sigh of relief.

“Let’s go somewhere we can get some rest. Somewhere we won’t have to worry about running into another one of those beasts.” Mama said.

We continued our journey, with the only sound accompanying us being the howling wind echoing through the empty buildings until we approached a dilapidated structure that seemed to be in slightly better shape than the others. Mama pushed open the door and we stepped inside. The interior was dark and musty, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. When they did, I saw that we were in a small room filled with old, broken furniture and a thick layer of dust.

Mama walked over to a corner of the room and reached behind a rickety old chair. She pulled out a small, glowing crystal and held it up to the light.

"This is where we'll rest," she said, gesturing to the crystal in her hand. "Dismiss the sprite and pour some of your mana into this."

As I reached for the crystal, I closed my eyes and focused on the flame that burned within me. It was a feeling I had become familiar with through my training with Mama, but this time I directed the heat to my hands instead of my eyes. I could feel the energy pulsing through my veins as I channeled it into the crystal, and as the symbol on my palm lit up, the air around us began to shimmer and warp. A small opening appeared in the fabric of reality, beckoning us toward a dim and mysterious pocket dimension. Mama stepped through the portal, beckoning for me to follow. I hesitated for a moment, still feeling uneasy about jumping into another portal, but with a deep breath, I followed after her.

Inside, the pocket space was small and cramped, but it was clean and dry, and there was a faint, warm glow emanating from the walls. It was a welcome respite from the desolate, crumbling city outside.

"This pocket dimension will only last for six or seven hours," Mama explained as we sat down on the floor. "But it's enough time for us to rest and plan our next move."

I closed my eyes and let out a deep sigh, grateful for the small shelter and the chance to rest.

"All right; Lesson four." Mama said

"Mages and adepts are the two different types of magical beings," Mama explained as she pulled out some snacks and a bottle of tea. "Mages use their aura to cast spells and defend themselves from magical attacks. Adepts, on the other hand, use mana internally to bolster their physical abilities.” She handed me a cup of green tea.

“But it's not quite that simple," Mama continued. "When the mana core of a living being reaches a certain size, we call that being 'mana awakened.' This awakening can manifest in two ways: either as an aura or mana circuits. Those with auras are called mages, and those with internal magic are called adepts."

I looked at Mama with confusion, as my own experiences with magic didn't quite fit into this dichotomy. I could even see my own aura, but the magic I had used so far was definitely internal.

"It's not always that clear-cut, but in general, this holds true," Mama said. "At least, that's how the mage colleges of Paurales see it. But in your case, your nature as a magical construct allows for magic circulation in your body, and your human template caused you to develop an aura. Humans are always mages and never adepts."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"It's a bit complex to explain," Mama said. "But in general, it's due to the inherent nature of a human's flesh and soul. You don't have these limitations, since your body is itself conducive to magic and your soul is, at least in part, inhuman."

I shuddered at the word "inhuman" a moment of existential dread overtaking me. Mama seemed to have noticed and pulled me in for a hug.

Her words were oddly comforting. I leaned into her, letting her warmth sink into me. The term humanity was loaded. In a world with vampires, monsters, and gods it made sense that humanity wasn't the end all.

"As I mentioned earlier, you have a mage’s aura, which means you can manipulate the mana in your surroundings to cast spells," Mama said. "Spells are cast with incantations or magic formulas. Your proficiency with spells will depend on how skilled you are at manipulating your aura, which takes intense focus and practice to master. However, spells have the advantage of using less of your own mana compared to other forms of magic."

I nodded, trying to absorb all the information. It all sounded so complicated.

"But what about my internal mana circulation?" I asked. "Can I use that to do anything?"

Mama nodded. "Yes, as an adept, you can use your mana to increase your physical abilities. You can become stronger, faster, and more durable. However, this consumes mana proportional to how much your abilities are raised and puts a strain on your body. Keep in mind that you don't have any martial training, so fighting may not be the best use of your internal mana."

A massive grin appeared on my face. I had superpowers.

"But there's one more way you can use your magic," Mama said, sensing my excitement. "You have runes inscribed on your body from the time you were created. You can activate these runes to cast the spells contained in their magic formulas. This method is instant and powerful, but it can consume a vast amount of mana."

“Like my mana sight?” I questioned, finally catching on.

“Yes, but runic magic is a closely guarded secret. As far as I know, I am the only living person who can create runes, so we’ll need to work on a way to obfuscate your abilities.”

Mama paused for a moment, considering something. "But let's start with something simpler. I want to show you how to cast a basic spell using your aura, so you can get some practice manipulating it. Watch closely with your mana sight."

She held up her palm and closed her eyes, focusing on her aura.

"Minut agut llamp," she whispered, her aura shaping into a complex form before snapping out of existence as an arc of electricity took its place.

"Give it a try," Mama said, covering her face with a handkerchief.

"Are you feeling okay?" I asked, suddenly worried.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired. These past few days have been draining, but don't mind me. I expect you to be able to produce a spark by the time we leave," Mama said sternly.

So, I spent the next few hours trying to zap something with my hand, and when I finally managed to produce a tiny little spark, I collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.