Chapter 3
An assortment of fruits floated around me while a few puppies tried to chase after them. Satisfied with my choice, an apple like fruit floated down towards me.
A few years had passed since my first outing in the forest. Now 5 years old, I regularly accompanied mother in her duties. I’m still not allowed to execute full magics, since according to her, my body is still not ready for it. Still, I’ve been diligently practicing my mana sense and manipulation, which allows me for a basic kind of telekinesis. Magic is just so useful I turn the risk of turning lazy.
I’m suddenly woken from my distraction by a flick on the forehead. Ouch!
“What are you distracted for? Now that you’re able to manipulate mana. I believe you have a few duties to attend to, don’t you sweetie?” Said mother with her characteristically impenetrable smile.
Since my capabilities increased, she has tasked me with helping out around the glade. Cleaning the puppies mess, tiding things up around, and mainly maintaining the weather and barrier runes. For you see, the walls around the glade are filled with specific runes responsible for maintaining temperature and defensive wards around the perimeter. I am now responsible for guiding mana to them and filling them up occasionally. I take it mother could do all of that with just a thought, but passed on to me so I could learn and practice.
I’ve taken the opportunity to study their formations since I had been finally mobile enough to access them. What once looked no more than scribbles, began to make some sense when I was passing mana to them.
They’re made from a series of intricate pathways and symbols that guide and transform the mana to their desired configuration before releasing it in the form of desired effects. It reminds me of a primitive logic processor. Unfortunately, I was no computer guy before to actually know how those worked.
What I could tell, is that these structures seemed to complete a loop, in which the formless mana took upon the elements and ultimately returned to its clear form after being used. Conservation of energy? Is it something to eat?
While I was once again distracted by the runes in front of me. I am mercilessly tackled by a monster.
“Kiah! I told you to stop doing that Balto!” As said retched beast licked me all over.
You see, a few years back. My trusty steed Lily, had its first puppy in a while. Apparently magical races like Fenrirs have very low reproductive rates, and similar small litters.
Lily herself seems to think us as siblings, so I’m constantly stuck with this beast bothering me and wanting to constantly play.
“That’s it. No more Ms. nice girl for you! It’s time for our final duel!” I said as I tackled him back and proceeded to vigorously fluff his soft fur.
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As I watch my cute daughter once again roll around in the mud. I think back on the day I’ve found her.
I was doing my regular stroll as I have done so for a long time. After extinguishing a particularly nasty confluence and a nest of trolls. I began to sense an opposite confluence many kilometers from where I stood.
Contrary to the usual dark confluence. This one was the clearer, purer mana I had seen in a long time. And it was huge. When I finally finished cleaning up the previous nest and could approach. The vortex seemed to extinguish by itself. What I found there changed my life forever.
It was a baby. A cute beautiful baby. As if blessed by nature and the Goddess herself, it had one of the clearer and biggest souls I’ve ever seen. It was a child loved by nature in a way I’ve never seen before.
But what reason does the Goddess has deemed to place her in my way? For long I have toiled alone. Sworn to my duties as the last of my kind. Am I to teach this child the ways of the Dryads? Is this what you want of me, my mother? Our way is not a kind way. She will thrive, for she will also suffer.
Having come to a decision, I finally took her home. What I got in return was more than I could have ever bargained for.
A curious and intelligent mind. Unrestricted by the boundaries of her limitations. And an affectionate daughter like I never knew I truly needed. The moments we spend together shine like diamonds in the darkness. And even if our time together ceases to be. I will never be able to regret it.
I know that not all is as it seems. For all of good in her heart. I feel an indescribable weight that pushes her down. She has her secrets, and someday she might deem to tell me about them. But I won’t press her for it. Not like it matters really.
What matters is my cute daughter in the process of dirtying herself again, seems to be in the stage of mana harmony to finally allow for her first runes. Usually for this world’s races, it takes at least ten season cycles for a child arrive to this stage. Paired with her amount of mana control, you could only call her a prodigy like never seen before.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Never a dull moment with this one. I thought As I watch both of them push themselves into the pond with a splash of water.
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Today is one of the days I’ve came with mother into the forest. As always, Lily is my steed. Balto was stuck back in the glade as he’s too young hunt with the pack. Not that I’m much different really.
As we arrived at the cliff. Mother turned back to me.
“My dear daughter. I feel that someone as dedicated as you could start helping me more with the tasks outside home.
How about this: Today I want to see how you cull the monsters. Would you grace your mother with your expertise?” She said with an incredibly suspicious grin.
“But mother. How could I do so without magic? Isn’t your daughter too small and fragile to really work?” I said with my most innocent smile.
“Not so. I have been observing you and noticed you’re doing pretty very well with your mana sense and manipulation. I didn’t even have to teach how to tether the mana.” She said, rebuffing my attempt at manipulation.
She was talking about telekinesis of course. I very early found out that you didn’t have to actually cast a magic if you just tether your own mana to the object’s mana. Such an operation requires an incredibly precise amount of control. And it even took me a couple of years to do it reliably and effortlessly.
Now the problem is how to use it as a weapon. The obvious thing of course, would be to throw rocks, or even dig a pitfall trap. But it really hasn’t the speed to truly do damage.
Another immediate problem, is if I really have what it takes to kill something. From an intellectual stand point. They’re merely monsters, a blight upon the world. Another is actually committing the act. To take a life, is to assume a heavy responsibility. No matter how righteous it seems. Especially when it seems righteous, I would counter.
As I desperately tried to think a way around my conundrum. Mother started to move again.
“Don’t you worry. It’s still morning. We have plenty of time for you to think of a solution. And don’t forget I am here with you.” Said the lady as she planted a kiss into my forehead.
As we continued to move. My mind fell back into the tropes. The hero who used modern knowledge to further magic and suddenly become overpowered. The problem was I was no engineer. Neither I had great amount of scientific knowledge beyond what is learned on school and the random TV shows. If I wanted a magic gun, more than this would be necessary.
If you think about a rock being thrown as a bullet, perhaps I already have one. But a bullet to do actual damage would need speed, which they currently don’t. Bullets get their speed from the accumulation of pressure in the firing chamber. Maybe if I harden the air around the pebbles, I could make a rudimentary one.
It leaves the problem of the explosive reaction. I already could harden the walls by thinking about the space between molecules. If somehow, I manage to compress it further and ignite the oxygen, it may work. “may work” being the operative word of course.
Some time later. We began to feel the first signs of something being wrong. We immediately rushed to the source. Mother effortlessly gliding to the forest, and Lily rushed behind her with me on its back.
What we found was a number of goblins and a larger variant. Their disgusting visages was only defeated by the horrible smell they emitted all around the place.
“We are here. Do you think you can deal with them?” Asked mother in a serious tone while we observed the creatures from afar.
“I will try.” Was the only answer I could give while steeling myself for what I was about to do.
While they still haven’t got the time to properly notice us, and the pack of fenrirs closely coming from behind. I got the pebbles I had prepared before when we reached a river.
Floating in front of me. I started to concentrate on the mana format I wanted. As it enveloped the pebble and adjusting its aim, I began to think on the propelling reaction. The air compression and the heat by vibrating the molecules. Till I released it all in one go.
The results were explosive to say the least. Before any of them could react. A large bang was heard in the forest. Followed by a large hole in the head of the goblin variant. Showering the surroundings in blood and gore. Immediately killing him.
Before long, I repeated the process on the further six, before any of them could reach us. It was over.
I looked to my side. And saw a shocked expression on lady Haltia. Immediately, I began to think if she would be afraid of what I could become. Adding it to the weight of taking a life for the first time. Tears began to fall again. Why is it that I become such a crybaby since coming here?
Schooling her expression, she was soon hugging me again.
“You have done well. I am very proud of you.” She said, as if she could read exactly what I was thinking.
After cleaning them up. We proceeded further in till the confluence that spawned the foul creatures.
“Here I will show you the process of cleaning the dark mana confluences. Currently, the amount of mana you can use is still too small for something like this. But I want you to learn to do it yourself for when you one day need it.”
She the explained me the process in which she guided the world’s clear mana in an opposite pattern to the dark mana. Cancelling it in the process. It was a beautiful operation to see.
The rest of the day followed with no surprises and we ended up going home. Passing through the now familiar empty dais and into our comfy glade.
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As we began to settle in for the rest of the day. A set of runes glowed on mother’s skin. And out of nowhere came the food we had prepared for today. One day, I definitely want to learn that magic storage spell. More useful than any attack magic could ever be.
“Mother, I want to learn that one!”
“Still too soon for you my dear. But come, after dinner I will tell you another story.” She told me as she passed my portion of fruits and some weird kind of vegetable.
Later that night, as I quietly contemplated the strange ringed moon that dominated the sky. I heard she say to me:
“I was very impressed with your progress today. I know it might seem too soon to force something like that upon someone as young as yourself. But know that I would never would have forced you into something I didn’t feel you were ready for.”
Suddenly, she seemed to took a sad expression as she continued.
“This is not a kind world, my beloved daughter. I wish I could shelter you forever under my power. But that is not to be.
I know someday you will have your role to play in this world. And you must be ready for it. Mine is the Dryad’s way. And I shall teach you of it. So, you can go on and fulfill your fate. For I am the last of my kind. But now, you too shall be one of our own.”
The incredible weight of her words seemed to wash over me. I knew this wasn’t a kind place. And I knew I would have to prepare for it. But hearing it out spelled so clearly is way more impactful.
“What I did to you today was a test. To see if you had what it took to learn our ways. Your body and mind are ready. So rejoice! For its time you receive your first rune.”
What have I got myself into this time?