With a tentative breath, Kieran took a step closer to the frightened voices. Fear faded from his chest as he cautiously edged toward the prisoners.

"Hey there, I'm sorry if I scared you guys, but don't worry, I'm not one of those orc pricks." He called out, trying to dispel any fear his noisy entrance caused.

"I'd even be as bold as to argue that I'm far more handsome, too."

A tense silence filled the room, and Kieran worried he said the wrong thing.

"I promise, I'm really not here to hurt anyone!"

"I just–" His voice cracked slightly from emotion.

"I'm just trying to get the hell out of this craphole right now and stumbled upon this place." he resigned, hoping they could hear the sincerity in his words.

"I even had to fight some of those green goons earlier but a bunch more are still out there. I don't even know where we are either since the Systems Map doesn't seem to work down here, and then there's err…” he realised he was just venting at this point.

“so, erm...I could really use some help?"

Kieran hoped his awkward but friendly blathering would confirm he definitely wasn't here for anything nefarious.

"Do–do you swear it?" the young girl pleaded in all but a whisper from the shadow.

"Pinky promise!" Kieran replied cheerfully, hoping they were old enough to respect the truly binding qualities such a promise held.

"Excuse me, what is a pinky promise?” She replied curiously.

Damn, guess they don't raise them right where she's from.

Before Kieran could critique her ignorant upbringing, the young man cut in with his own question.

"Do you swear it, on…"

There was a rasping breath in the darkness.

"On your honour…Sir?"

On my honour? Kieran was thrown off by the curveball, especially how it was phrased by this younger-sounding man, and yet still a little too well-spoken for a local London accent.

"I wouldn't claim to be especially honourable, really, but I do have a basic sense of decency"

Kieran moved a little closer.

"At least, enough to not play tricks on people being held captive by evil orc bastards" Kieran heard them sigh in relief from where they sat in the dark, so he continued moving toward them.

"So, erm…My name's Kieran. And yeah you have my word, I'll try to help." he promised. "is it just the two of you?"

"Indeed it is, Sir" the young man breathed from a few feet away, his voice relaxed considerably.

"And you said you're both brother and sister right?"

“Also correct” the man spoke as he huffed from exertion, apparently sitting up. “My name is Illya, and this…is my younger sister, Neaila"

He's definitely younger than he sounded at first. Kieran considered if it had just been fake bravado.

"Please…Kier-han." Desperation strained the young man's friendly tone.

"Please, help us escape this horrendous place. And in exchange, I can promise to reward you marvelously once we arrive home, safe.

I swear this on the Kalgarin name" the young man all but recited poetically.

"Brother, no! You can–"

"It is done, Neaila" he cut her off quickly.

Kieran surmised they must be upper-class somebodies, from somewhere fancy that he would never have even heard the name of in his peasant life. Why else would someone swear on their name so confidently? completely sure that name alone must imply grand respect or represent some powerful group.

But, Kalgarin? Never heard of it before...strange.

Despite the lack of recognition, the desperate pledge took root in Kieran's heart. With great sympathy for their familiar plight, he resolved to do whatever it took to help these people escape with him, maybe they could even help him too.

"Okay, so we'll work together until we leave if you're cool with that? Reward or not, I couldn't just walk away with a good conscience."

"Well, unless you guys eat babies or something?" Kieran chuckled with an air of nonchalance, trying to keep the mood chipper for all involved.

Worryingly, neither of the strangers replied.

Man, tough crowd...

"So, erm, can you stand on your own? The orcs didn't burn you did they?" Kieran changed the subject.

"Unfortunately, they did. My back is...quite damaged" Illya huffed slowly.

"Though, I think I may still summon the strength to walk. If only it weren't for these vile shackles placed on us, I would be fully capable of even more after a short respite, too."

The rattling chain emphasised his point and Kieran praised his own inability to let random loot go to waste.

"Oh, that's nothing that Jeff can't fix!" Kieran remarked as he bent to his ankle and withdrew his key without thinking.

He froze in embarrassment whilst still hunched down.

"I mean…erm, I took this key thing from one of the orcs. They used it to undo my cuffs, so I imagine it should work on yours, too." Kieran quickly followed up awkwardly.

He stepped far enough forward as he spoke that the gentle glow of the smoldering brazier on the back wall now lightly shone around him, bringing a touch of faint colour and shape to his dark silhouetted surroundings. He was quite grateful they didn't question the hobo-tier outfit he rocked, stinky and dirty too, for added effectiveness. Assuming they could even see him with that poor excuse for a light simmering away over there.

"Presumably it's a short metallic wand of sorts?" Illya queried knowingly. As he leaned forward for a closer look in the dark, Kieran glimpsed the faint pale colour of his long hair even through the shadowed vicinity.

" Ah, it is a basic enchanted rod that pairs with mana shackles universally...That should more than suffice"

"Though I've never seen such a crudely constructed one be effective."

Why is he talking like he knows all about this stuff? He sounds really sure of himself, considering it's been less than a day since everything went down.

Kieran didn't want to argue with the young guy, assuming he was just a nerdy kid who might be very scared and confused after being tortured by stubby little orcs.

He must have been through a lot.

"So yeah, mana shackles you said?…let me get them off you first buddy, can ya hold your arm out for me? I'm not exactly sure where you are here and I don't really wanna poke you in the face by accident…or by invitation" Kieran lightly joked to alleviate some tension.

"Here, if you would be so kind." Kieran heard from just a few feet ahead of him as he felt his way forward toward the vague outline of a kneeling man, his waving arm grazed against a smooth fabric.

"Oh, gotcha now, hold still a second please mate"

Kieran assumed it would be as simple as just touching the stick to the metal band, a thought he realised was quite stupid as he struck the shackle very gently, then waited seconds for the chain to open. Nothing?…really?

He tapped several more times until he was eventually rhythmically drumming away with the wand, yet even drum and bass beats summoned no reaction.

"Sorry, I don't quite know what I'm doing wrong, but it's not opening" Kieran said, feeling glad the room was too dark for them to see his awkward expression.

"Not to sound ungrateful to our rescuer, but are you positive you are activating the item, or are you just poking my brother with it like a Pinebeast?" The younger girl spoke up confidently before adding a stiff "Sir."

Wait, activating? What's that?

Kieran felt stupid for a second as he feared asking such an arrogant girl for information about something she sounded so confident in. He smiled to himself at his stupid pride before just asking like a man.

"Sorry young lady, but when you say activating, you mean?..." Kieran awkwardly paused to give her time to jump in.

He heard a tiny scoff from beside him.

"I'll thank you for not calling me 'young lady' ever again, sir. Just Neaila is adequate if you please"

Arrogance crept through with those words, apparently from nowhere, and Kieran only grew more curious about the origin of this strange pair.

"Activate, obviously meaning to output and control your manaflow to initiate and facilitate the enchanted items designed function"

"Did you not even complete your first year at the academy?" She smugly jabbed.

"Neaila!" Illya half shouted at her In dismay. "Show some respect to our potential rescuer"

He seemingly winced from the pain, pausing for a moment.

"He's trying...to help us. And does not need you berating him, so please just aid him without comment" he chastised again before turning back to Kieran's direction and apologising too.

"I'm very sorry…Kieran, we mean no disrespect, my sister is simply a little too gifted in the field of manawork and likes to let everyone in the room know it" Illya defended her for what Kieran guessed was not the first time.

Listening to them still behaving like genuine siblings in such a grim setting, Kieran felt himself smile.

"You're honestly fine, I don't even know what academy you're talking about. Plus, she's right, I dropped out of university long ago and that was about it for my education." Kieran dismissed their worries quickly as he still prodded at the resisting metal shackle that would not budge.

"For real though what do you mean activating it? And manawork? Is that just like controlling the mana with your mind sorta stuff?”

"Kieran, are you genuinely not familiar with basic mana tools and how they function?"

"Did you not receive education as a child?" Concern clear in Illya’s tone.

Kieran paused at the unexpected seriousness of the questions. The confusion gave way to wild theory for a moment and he carefully let go of Illya's arm, unsure as to what exactly it was he was missing here, and why...

"Mate, if this entire system assimilation thing only just snatched us up today, how exactly would I know a damn thing about mana except that it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I breathe it in?" Kieran grew a little frustrated with this guy's all-knowing attitude. They were all in the same boat here as far as he was concerned.

Only nervous silence and sounds of light breathing filled the room for what felt far too long.

as the silence grew awkwardly present by the second, Kieran expected an answer he would definitely not be too keen on at this point.

"Brother is h–" Neaila finally began, only to be cut off once more by Illya.

"Kieran” He ignored his sister's brewing question.

“I need you to tell me where you're from…please" There was a firmness now to his voice that made the tension in the air palpable.

"I'm…from London, South, currently." The words felt strange as he said them as though they held no real meaning in the air.

"You can't be from much further away surely with that accent?" Kieran accused.

"And where exactly is this…London?" Illya sounded genuinely curious.

Kieran tilted his head at the reply, unsure where the punchline was.

"Illya, mate. If you wanna take the piss man, I can just leave these chains on" Kieran cheerily threatened.

"Please, just answer my questions truthfully Kieran" The talking silhouette seemed tall even considering he must be sitting on the floor.

"Obviously not bloody Ontario ey, buddy" he finished with a weak Canadian accent in a poor attempt to dismiss Illya's still serious tone.

"So you are saying you hail from somewhere outside the Kingdom of Elnar?" The young man's smooth voice seemed to already know the answer.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

“El...Nar? Is that in Spain, or maybe Indonesia?” Kieran’s voice jumped in pitch with the rapidly onsetting confusion.

"You don’t know, Truly?"

"Honestly Illya, I've never heard of Elnar, wherever that is. Sorry but like, there are a lot of countries. He justified his ignorance defensively, missing the point.

"The reason I ask you where you are from…is because my sister and I were both captured by our treasonous uncle's soldiers almost two days back. And when the soldiers first took us captive, we were merely three leagues from the border of the Anhari Forest...just outside the Kingdom of Kal-Garin.

He paused dramatically, as though every name he spoke held great significance. Kieran only grew more skeptical about his current whereabouts, or if this guy was bullshitting him with the finesse of a veteran car salesman.

"And!" He announced dramatically. "Our Kingdom happens to be the last surviving bastion of civilisation in our world." Kieran internally gasped in shock, whilst Illya sighed with emotion.

"The rest...long since claimed by the Beast Lords that ever hunger for our land.”

Kieran felt the powerful emotion in his voice, knowing inside that this young man believed he was genuinely telling the truth. The sense of sadness and loss shone through like a deep bassy note of his sombre tone.

“So…you’re not from good old planet Earth?”

He worried about Illya's answer, only for Neaila to interject instead. "You named your entire planet after dirt?”

“Your people are rather strange, ours is at least named after our Goddess, out of our eternal love and respect” Her arrogant youthful voice clearly showed she must be mentally resilient to this whole situation.

"Please, Neaila stop being disrespectful. Surely his people must have different meanings and uses of words within their culture" He sighed and took a shallow breath.

At least he’s nice. I shouldn't tell him that it literally does mean dirt. No need to give this smug little brat any more ammo.

"So you're saying that the system accidentally sent me to your planet Elnar instead of that 'New Gaia' planet it mentioned before? This is too confusing! You saw those system messages too, right?"

"Perhaps...if I recall correctly, those blue ‘system’ boxes did mention a New Gaia, but I had no idea it was a whole other world…nor what Gaia is for there to be a new one.”

“Then, the planetary spatial…." Illya sounded uncertain and drew to a pause.

"I'm beginning to fear that you're not the only one here a long way from home.” Illya finished in a barely audible whisper that caused Kieran to feel a fresh fear bubbling in his chest.

No! he gasped in shocked rage, his mind finally understanding the seriousness of Illya's words, throwing his emotions into turmoil as clues started joining together chaotically.

The System's messages, the way it roasted humanity for being weak. Then the Orcs in a dungeon of all things, and now strangers taken from an alien world with a solitary kingdom in the middle of a losing war– it was all pointing to one thing he really hoped wasn't the case.

“Ahhhh fuck man” Kieran clutched his head in his hands, feeling a mix of confusion, stress, and sheer injustice at how crappy his luck seemed to be.

"We’ve been fucking group isekai’d?!" he groaned meaningfully, in a great, yet still uncertain, declaration.

"Oh look, another fabricated word, brother?" Neaila commented playfully.

Kieran ignored her jab. Instead, he began to rant to himself in genuine frustration for how things twisted from his expectations.

“I thought I was gonna get cool powers and become a magical cultivator! cut down mountains with one swing, and shit,” he complained, oh so seriously.

“Swinging big swords with my best friend, slapping faces, transcending! all the best stuff." He trailed off meekly.

"Sorry...I was only jesting, honestly" Neaila tried to interject with sympathy, it landed on deaf, spiralling ears.

"Now Nathan is long gone, my friends are long gone, and all our homes too, I bet..."

“I don't know if I'll ever see them again since I'm about to die in some random-ass Orc-infested dungeon where they have a monstrous fetish for burns” Kieran released a huge sigh into the palms of his sweaty hands, trying to expel the anger he felt for the universe right now.

Chains quietly rattled beside him, and he felt a long, wiry hand gently wrap over his forearm, then rest there in what he now realised was a comforting gesture.

“I understand this may be stressful" Neaila softly spoke from very close to his face, causing him to look up from the tenderness of her voice.

He saw the constant darkness shift, then the vaguest of white outlines where he figured her head must be.

"but, you’re not alone now Kieran" she promised.

"Also, no pressure intended” Illya continued.

“but without you, our situation would become incredibly dire.” Illya patted him on the forearm too with what also felt like an unnaturally lengthy set of digits.

“I...I guess you're both right" Kieran accepted defeatedly. Then, grateful for their support, he bolstered his positive attitude a little.

"I guess that stuff doesn't change the most urgent problem in that we're all Orc captives in this crappy place right now."

"Oh, and that there are plenty of them assholes still out there by the way, two big boys and a weird little mage guy that I hear is very fond of a good roast” Kieran flashed back to that weird headdress he couldn't quite see clearly before.

“Yes, I met their mage earlier, and as you might guess…it was most unpleasant” Illya twisted slightly in discomfort, remembering the pain.”

“Sorry about that man...but erm, back on topic time! Please, can one of you show me how I activate this key?"

There was another long silence as Kieran waited patiently for the young man's response. It seemed to take Illya longer than would be normal to process everything.

"Okay, i guess the quicker we're free, the quicker we'll both feel better about all of this" Illya sounded resigned yet thoughtful.

"placing the conundrum of your Origin–and if you are an enemy of our entire world or not–aside for the moment. I'm not entirely sure now is an appropriate time to try to educate you on basic mana application, even if my people didn’t have strictly binding laws about the nature of education"

“Brother, I studied under Uncle Urna for two whole years. I’m sure I could-

“No, Neaila, you aren't teaching him either. Remember the oaths we all took'' Illya preemptively shut her down with an almost exasperated voice as he exhaled.

"Perhaps though" he mused thoughtfully, "I might partially guide you on how to use only the key itself, purely to free us both of course, and with no more information given than would be absolutely necessary. That should not violate the Oaths we have made in those regards" the man considered out loud.

"And…perhaps a teacher could be provided for you by our family should you safely deliver us home. Would you be amenable to those terms?"

Kieran didn't really understand why there was such a need for seriousness when they were talking about the choice of being freed or just staying here locked up until the orcs did something far worse with them.

I'm open to helping someone regardless of their origin, as long as they aren't a bad person. I'm eager to listen to any information that can help me help you.

"My people have a saying though. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend' which I think is reason enough that we should all stick together right now”

“I understand. We witnessed one of my uncle's men be 'Chosen' by the gods, he disappeared in a strange flash of mana that almost distracted them enough for us to escape, but then we awoke here instead, chained and awaiting interrogation.”

“You are correct though, and we Elnari also have a similar saying, ‘He who seeks to slay my foes, Thy kin until the end of woes’ indeed different, but the essence remains."

“Oooh how poetic” Kieran quipped.

“Ours is caveman-like in comparison but simple gets the job done, I guess, speaking of which” He continued with renewed vigour.

"For the third time, my mana-capable friend, how do I use this stupid stick?" Kieran tapped on the outstretched shackle still binding Illya.

"Just give me the quick-notes version and we can go from there"

"As you wish, mate" the word hung awkwardly from Illyas's mouth.

"I can summarise and outline the main relevant steps for interacting with mana tools, then perhaps you might attempt some degree of function"

Neaila gasped from beside them, still barely a visible little silhouette.

"But, brother!" She wined.

"Those lessons are spread across the entire first year, how is he supposed to pick it up this quickly–"

"Neaila, please stop interrupting" Illya sounded exasperated. "I am still in a great deal of pain, so use what little mana sense you have left with these cursed bindings on and maybe you'll understand why I hold faith that he will succeed"

Neaila turned silent, Kieran thought she might say something else but instead, she just sat there without a word.

Kieran waited for Illya to continue but was instead disturbed by a strange shiver that ran down the hairs on his arms, it felt like somebody was looking at him from the dark and gave him the creeps in a way he couldn't grasp, he focused on the sensation and quickly realised where it originated.

What the hell is that, it's coming from her direction?

"Erm, Neaila? I don't want to sound weird, but is that you doing that?" Kieran questioned softly, not wanting to jump to conclusions.

"Amazing" Illya remarked, clearly impressed. "You actually detected her mana sight immediately. No person undeveloped in mana sensitivity could ever achieve such a feat." He praised excitedly.

"We can go into further detail later if you need it. But meanwhile, just listen to my instructions closely, please." His voice croaked a little.

Kieran mentally slapped himself as he remembered Illya to be in a great deal of pain still.

"Of course, sorry…continue please, Master Illya…" Kieran dramatically drew out the last two words, eliciting a slight giggle from Neaila.

Illya sighed at the feigned formality as he finally began his impromptu explanation.

"There are usually separate courses for each of the five steps of mana activation and how they pertain to tools and spellwork, but I shall condense this down to a three-step process as best I can, in order to keep it simple for you, no offense meant"

"None taken" Kieran replied jovially.

"as I said, simple gets the job done" he affirmed.

"First step" Illya announced, commanding Kieran's full attention.

"You must make a physical or mental connection of some kind, enough to transport the mana required, easy enough"

"For step two, you must use your mental focus and intent to somewhat..."Illya hesitated, as if trying to find the right word.

"Will a current of mana into the wand. At least enough that the inscription does not allow more to enter without a significant force."

So mana can be controlled and moved with thought and 'Willpower'? or maybe a mental power of some kind? Does that then mean I could circulate it better by consciously moving it in different ways or patterns? Almost like a...Cultivation Technique?...oh hell yes!

Kieran tried not to get lost in the new ideas, which only became increasingly more difficult as each new piece of startling information drove his theory-crafting brain further into the rabbit hole.

Neaila coughed beside him, and he refocused on what Illya was explaining.

"–This will saturate the enchantment sigil with the required mana to complete its function, just be careful not to overload the enchantment otherwise it will cause irreparable damage"

"Once you've practiced a little you should feel comfortable advancing further. Step three is as simple as disengaging your mana and allowing the tool or spell to begin it's function"

"This is entirely different in regards to spellwork and the other many uses of mana, luckily the fixed nature of these mana tools tends to keep the activation universally accessible regardless of skill levels."

Memories of University lectures came flooding back to Kieran, and he recalled how sometimes they just went on, and on…

"But, I digress" Illya interrupted his own meandering thoughts.

"I could further elaborate on the intricacies of the process but it's probably best if you just feel it out yourself at this point"

"And I'll add, thank you, for wanting to help. I appreciate that you could have just kept moving alone, but you stopped to free us, and I shan't forget that."

"I also thank you, Kieran. I won't forget this debt either" Neaila spoke up along with her brother, sounding more formal and genuine than just the timid yet arrogant girl she appeared to be until now.

"No worries guys, I guess that also means I really have no choice but to do this right now" Kieran awkwardly chuckled, somewhat nervous after their sincere gratitude.

"Gimme a minute to focus, please"

"Of course, take your time to feel for the mana, beginners usually spend hours meditating with mana stones daily to feel the initial touch" Illya comforted him

"I'm confident you will be faster by a good margin though, just remember to make your intent clear mentally, we shan't rush you"

This guy is weirdly sure of me, but I suppose I have had a bit of mana exposure already so maybe he can sense it in me or something?

He sighed out in a slow, controlled sag of his entire ribcage, closing his eyes more for clearer focus. After a few moments of gentle breath, his inner eye turned to gaze at the undulating sea of mana clinging to his chest but still floating aimlessly inside him.

Using his breath as the medium he mentally felt for the natural wafts of mana that always gently hung around him in this dungeon.

The new influx of mana slowly pooled into his already enriched body, and he became highly aware of its presence as it flowed into him like an emptying drain.

Kieran remembered Illyas brief guidance, he focused on his light grip of the round metal wand–the cool metal had warmed slightly in his sweaty palm.

The flowing waves of warm mana thrummed in his limbs, Kieran inhaled and pushed out from his chest, sending flowing currents swimming further and faster with each new influx of ambient energy being absorbed.

Focusing on his palm, and on the sensation of the wand in his grasp. He commanded his mana to flow out, and after a few attempts at coaxing, he sensed a strange tugging sensation reply from the wand, almost like a small vacuum pulling at the skin.

This force felt so gentle that he'd barely even noticed it until he focused on the odd sensation. Kieran could feel almost an empty void in his hand, but as he focused his mind and willed more energy toward his palm, he found it began moving of its own free will as something he couldn't understand at all, drew the mana into the enchantment with a mind of its own.

Amazing, it does the rest by itself?

With another lungful of mana, the pull lessened.

Kieran could feel his mana slowly pouring into the linear gaps of the strange, engraved pattern that ran down the length of the metal. It gave off no light, but when he focused on the item itself, he was oddly aware of its unique arrangement. In that dark fluctuating chaos of the mind's eye, he clearly saw a jagged, linear pattern come to life inside the wand.

The pull of mana completely stopped immediately, and when he urged more through his palm, it wouldn't budge without great effort.

just as Illya mentioned! I shouldn't force it then,.

"Abracadabra!" Kieran announced grandiosely as he brought down the mana-infused metal rod to contact Illya's shackle. It hit with a surprisingly soft clack that made Kieran clench his cheeks in anticipation.

The shackle, however, did not pop open in Kieran's hand as he expected, instead, the physical sense of contact disappeared.

The shackle passed right through the meat of Kieran's hand, like…magic?.

A loud clanging of metal halted his momentary confusion, the rattle of chains echoed briefly as matching gasps rang out beside Kieran.

His focus returned around him as Illya pulled back his arm from Kieran and cradled it to his chest.

"Praise the Mother!" He exclaimed.

"I would never believe you were ignorant to manawork if you hadn't said so, my dear friend. Consider me truly impressed!"

He flattered Kieran's apparent display of skill, not knowing his savior to be immune to any kind of praise since childhood.

It was almost effortless though. Why is he hyping it up so much? Oh well, next one.

"Neaila, you're up next then" Kieran began as he held out his arm like a gentleman, before remembering she still couldn't see it.

"B-but, you've only just used the wand to free my brother. Do you not need to refill your mana reserves and rest a while first?" She seemed concerned at his haste.

"By the Demons!" Illya suddenly announced in a shock which twisted to the pleasure of relief.

"That feels leagues better, if you'll excuse the pun" he chuckled proudly to himself.

what pun?...

"Thank you so much, Kieran, those cursed bindings were preventing my natural healing abilities from mending my burns. I could already feel the infection creeping in, but now"

The air wafted powerfully as he moved his body around in the dark, apparently feeling his back with his hands as he twisted on the spot.

"Ahhh" he stretched his arms out, sighing in relief once more.

"That's much better, thank you again" Illya sounded good as new already.

"you're welcome, but like...how did you heal so fast? I thought you were pretty badly burnt?" Kieran tried not to sound too accusatory.

Illya reached out an arm and patted Kieran on the shoulder as he reiterated with a mirthful flair "Natural. Healing. Abilities."

Illya's hand grazed the back of Kieran's arm as he patted him again, then pulled back quickly. There was a rapid sniffing sound followed by hard retching.

"Ughh–By–by the Gods! What is this?." Appalled Illya.

"Oh crap, sorry, that's me" Kieran felt so bad.

"you really shouldn't touch me too much right now mate, I desperately need a shower" he ashamedly laughed.

"Oh, and I'm definitely in need of a whole new wardrobe if you happen to find any bits lying around." The semi-seriousness didn't ease his worry over the awful sight he must present.

"Like I said though, Miss Neaila, let's get you free! We've got nicer places to be than here, wouldn't you agree?" Kieran held out the wand once more, preparing to infuse it with mana for the second time.

"If you're positive you can manage it so soon, that would be wondrous, Kieran. But please do not rush yourself. Mana fatigue is incredibly disorientating and never to be disregarded" Neaila warned from beside him.

Neaila’s arm jangled a noisy chain in the air that signaled she was ready. A soft set of thin fingers grazed against his reaching forearm, he found the thick smooth cuff that clamped tightly on the young lady's thin wrist.

"Round two, easy peasy" He chimed confidently, and that confidence was for once not misplaced at all.

Effortlessly, he connected through his mana, like a tiny thread of himself reaching out to the strange pattern that he now realised must be the actual enchantment.

It's completely dead again?

his mind ran through the empty, ethereal canals as they appeared far clearer now, but incredibly hollow. A couple of deep breaths sent his dense cloud of mana sloshing about in calm waves, he mentally willed a small flow of the endless energy to trickle into the wand.

Keep it flowing like water. The gentle command maintained his focus and he started nudging the energy with his thoughts.

The thin lines inscribed across the wand once more thrummed to life and the enchantment activated in barely another breath once he started really pushing with his mana.

Kieran felt a strange sense of accomplishment at the ease with which he repeated the process, Illya had made it sound far more complicated than it ended up being.

His mind swelled with pride and heart with joy, unable to believe each exciting step he took into what felt to be the barest surface of this new magical system. Arrogant musings once more interrupted by a clang of solid metal smashing to the floor with an accompanying chain rattle.

Finally, job done! He cheerily thought.

"Thank you so much! Now I can finally use my mana sight proper–" Neaila began sweetly, but suddenly shouted in surprise and panic.

"Brother! What in the Feralblight is he?!" A strange awe and fear filled her voice and her shoes scuffed as she back up a good amount.

"He's practically a Tier 2 Beast-King!" she cried.