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051. Human

"He looked... Ordinary." Stammered Sirius.

"Yet he is far from ordinary." Man with sharp black beard explained. "He sought the secret of magic's nature and we think he found it. He would come into a community to stay over, but his unaging appearance scared people, so he left for another place. And so he wandered from tribe to tribe, until eventually he visited each and every one of them. To some he is akin to divine avatar of the World, to others - a deviant, the being against the natural order."

"Exactly like Blizzard Bringer said." Added Calmness of Storm. "I believe his findings are related to the extended life, but he never shared it with anyone."

"He was so interesting to talk to..."

"Oh yes, he is rather knowledgeable and curious about qll things magic. He is just rather hard to come by intentionally. So, regarding your stay here."

"Yes..." Sirius nodded hesitantly.

"First we need you to understand the reason we were hesitant at first. For that you need to open your eyes."

"Excuse me?"

"Your Spirit Eyes, kid." Blizzard Bringer sneered.

"Sorry..."

"No worries. We could wait until you open them on your own, but we help our kids to open them, so why not?"

"I am very grateful for that offer. I am only a bit concerned since Friend told me my organs are underdeveloped."

"Organ-s? As in, multiple?" Asked the youngest of elders.

"I was born a Child of the Prophecy, as churchmen called me. I could cast without Astral Body, even if only a bit, all thanks to my sensitivity to mana. I possess all First-circle organs, all condensed at the same time."

Elders looked between each other again. This kid was already getting in their nerves with his uniqueness. Calmness of Storm suddenly giggled.

"Then the Deepest Lake is indeed your best choice of mentor."

"What do you mean, Calmness of Storm?" Asked youngest elder, barely thirty by his looks.

"You see, Glint of Gold, she also could cast without developed Spirit. When she had her Eyes opened, she was extremely angry that we took away the 'correct' path. Like..."

"Like the gut feeling, the intuition from the World itself." Finished Sirius.

"Exactly."

"I also felt that under master Verden, so I never condensed any organ until they manifested on their own. Maybe the flow and density of mana around me forced their development, but that is only my guess. What I am is not unique, there are many of us, more sensitive to mana from birth. I even met one on the Order's side."

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"Enough talking." Said Calmness of Storm and walked in front of Sirius. "You already have an organ, so showing you how to use it won't hurt your path. Be ready."

With a gaming smile he put both thumbs on Sirius' forehead, taking hold of his head with the rest. Sirius felt his head burn, as mana began fuelling the Mind's Eyes. The Mana Pool began quickly draining, and his Thought Constellation went into overdrive as well, creating a vortex of mana around Sirius to draw all the energy out could. Then there was light. Sirius felt the world around him divide into two, overlapping with itself, crumbling and unfolding as he shifted his gaze.

"Concentrate on light." Sirius heard from everywhere.

Sirius did as instructed and saw the familiar sight of ghostly world in a net of leylines, with nine bright multicoloured people in front. Each of them vaguely resembled elders, with some differences here and there. As Sirius looked at Calmness of Storm, he saw a young version of him, but the insides of the ghost brimmed with powerful energy of lightning.

"So that is the correct way to be here..." Said Sirius out loud, hearing two voices in unison, one of him and another... Distorted.

"Was there another way?" The voice of the Calmness sounded like the raging wind and thunder.

"I travelled leaving my body behind..." Distorted voice resembled screeching of metal, making Sirius shudder. "What is wrong with me?"

"In this state you can look at yourself. It is much easier that trying to describe."

Sirius tried inspecting himself, starting from hands. When he saw the myriad of hands repeating his motion, he felt a headache. All hands were injured or bleeding on different places and occupied the same place, but moved not entirely in sync, creating the afterimages behind. The view was unnatural and disturbing on some deeper level. Sirius fell to his knees, the Eyes closing without the force keeping them open.

"Are you alright?"

"Up close it is even worse than I imagined..." Panted Sirius on the ground. "Can I fix that?"

"Eyes of the Forest is the best at Spirit alignment. She can help you finding a solution, but in the end it is you who will do the fixing."

"Thank you..." Sirius recovered a bit and stood up, still tired from the short experience, but overall happy to learn something new. "So you won't chase me away?"

"Hmph. Not yet." Rage of Fire grunted. "Not until you look human."

"I will repay your kindness, elders!" Sirius bowed deeply.

"Of course you will."

"When should I start?"

"As soon as you learn to open your Eyes." Blizzard Bringer pondered aloud. "It is a must to partake in ceremonies. It is only up to you to succeed in melding with us."

"Now go. Eyes of the Forest is waiting for you outside."