“I should probably start by asking what brought this up.”

Soleil’s eyes fell to the cart seat. “Nadir and I overhead the tail end of your discussion with Brigid. You sounded upset. I thought you still weren’t willing to forgive yourself from earlier.”

“Oh Soleil.”

She recognized that tone and instinctively leaned closer to her mother, accepting one more hug for the day.

“I’ve known that skill books are some of the most useful looks we have into a world long lost to us. And that some big Calamity is responsible. But I’ve heard mana scream. And now this Calamity is apparently a name for someone who scares you and has takes an interest in me?” She shook her head at her mother’s concerned expression. Soleil had a bit more to say. “It’s a lot. I know. And I shouldn’t feel responsible for everything you and your mothers have gone through. But I don’t want you to feel like you have to hide your fears from me. I’m awake to the world’s memories now. I am probably going to find out one way or another.” Soleil looked up at her mother.

Her look was met with sobering laughter. “Very well. You’re right. You deserve to know. If you do not mind, I am going to gather my thoughts while stopping the cart. This is not a conversation to have while either of us is distracted.”

Soleil nodded. “I can wait. Am I setting up one tent or two?”

Veilura smiled warmly. “I’ll leave it to you to decide. Very little I have to say to you tonight will be pleasant to hear. I’ve spent half my life searching for answers. None of that brought me any peace. Only what truth I made for myself and the life I shared with your mothers has brought me any lasting satisfaction.”

The moment the cart came to a stop, Soleil gave her mother a surprise kiss on the cheek before fleeing reprisal.

She rounded to the rear of the cart before finding food and firemaking supplies. Soleil decided a single tent would be fine. No matter what this Calamity was like, Soleil hoped she could remind her mother that she was not alone. Brigid and Nadir would approve.

Heating up the last meal for the day would take a while, so the tent could wait.

Soleil blocked out the world, pouring her focus into the task of slicing herbs, vegetation, and meat into a stew. [Cooking] guided her hands, filling her nostrils with the scents of strange foods she could not identify. The memory of one particular aroma stung, causing her eyes to water. Soleil broke her focus and gave herself a moment to calm down before scooping the stew’s ingredients into a bowl.

There was little opportunity or danger of any fire she started to spread, but she decided to take the extra precautions anyway. Better to gain the extra experience and build good habits. Soleil shielded the space from wind and built a barrier. Closing her eyes, Soleil took a deep breath and reached for her [fire making] skill.

This was the end of the day. [Fire making] would likely be the last skill she used.

Should she experiment? Sensitivity almost seemed to call to her.

Just thinking about it informed her that it would be a valid fuel for the skill. Gritting her teeth, Soleil willed Focus and Sensitivity both into the act of [making a fire.]

The flames exploded into life.

Anger and grief ignited within Soleil. Without thinking, she fed the flames all the Focus she had left to give.

She could feel it. The heat warmed her body to the point of discomfort. A blistering pain soon followed.

The fire itself cried a siren scream that summoned her mother to her side.

Desperately her mother interposed herself between her daughter and the flames, but not before Soleil saw the mana within the flames expire.

Mana wasn’t supposed to do that.

It was supposed to grow tired like she did before dispersing harmlessly into the air to find rest and sustenance before returning rejuvenated. Mana was supposed to be infinitely reusable.

And yet…

[Soleil’s soul gained a level.]

Soleil gained a deeper understanding of [Fire Making.] The skill can now be raised to Rank 1.

Soleil gained knowledge of the skill [Mana Detonation.] The skill’s rank cannot be raised.

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“What…?” With a seductive drawing out of Soleil's sensitivity, she felt a fire die and take the world with it.

“No Soleil! Stop using Sensitivity!”

Soleil did. And slowly the crater faded from her vision, replaced by her mother crushing her in her embrace.

“What happened?” Soleil felt drained. Drained? That word had weight, a weight that tugged on her soul. When she reached for her focus to figure out what was wrong, she found no focus left to reach for. The realization left her feeling light headed.

“Shhhh. Just wait. Give it a few minutes. Your focus will come back. And then I will explain.”

Soleil listened to her mother fret over her daughter’s physical form.

Veilura found Soleil warm to the touch, but could find no evidence of burns or singed clothing.

Physically, Soleil was fine.

Soleil’s head soon righted itself. “I was just curious.” She started.

“Shhh. I know hun. But so did the mana around you. When you reached out, it answered. Unfortunately you paired a curiosity about Calamity with an affiliated skill of hers.”

This was a lot to take in all over again. Soleil was not sure if her mother was referring to the [Mana Detonation] skill she had just learned. Why did some words feel like they gained a new texture? She was almost afraid to speak either of them aloud.

Almost.

“I gained a level. Some part of me instinctively knows that level came from drawing a connection between Calamity and fire. The level also came with a new skill.”

Fear.

Suddenly Veilura looked the same way Brigid did before she channeled mana for the first time.

“Oh. Did I do something wrong?” Soleil knew before the words finished leaving her mouth that any one of her mothers would disagree. Mana was acting unpredictably. It manifested in terrifying ways and pushed her to do more than she might otherwise.

Was the risk of letting mana into your soul knowing that not all of it would be kind?

“No, my dearest daughter. We knew that mana would take an interest in you. But not to what extent." And not this early her mother seemed like she wanted to say. Veilura seemed as surprised as Soleil was.

“You never would have guessed it would be Calamity herself until you were on your way home for my twentieth birthday.”

Veilura looked like she wanted to deflate, and instead steeled herself. Soleil could see her mother trying to muster up the courage to ask a question. “What skill did she teach you?”

Soleil gave her mother an answer.

In exchange, Veilura took over setting up camp and began to explain how mana engines storing beyond thousands of levels were once used to wage a war to end the world as mana knew it.

The world and mana both changed in the aftermath, while humanity struggled to survive. Mana knew humanity was responsible, and so the new world that lived in all creatures that adapted to survive began to treat humanity as responsible as well.

Calamity clung to the moment of fiery destruction caused by mana engines. Any understanding of Calamity had to begin with the context of [Mana Detonation] being a skill born out of an intention to ensure that humanity never forget their crimes.

“So that’s why she wants to kill all of humanity.”

Veilura gave her the softest of looks that made Soleil feel like she couldn’t be more wrong.

Soleil scoffed aloud. “Don’t tell me it gets more complicated than that.”

“Calamity expressed her congratulations before mentioning you specifically. I am beginning to think that she was earnest in those expressions.”

Soleil looked down, reaching into her pouch containing the magitech lens in order to confirm that [Mana Detontonation] was indeed a skill inscribed upon her soul. “So what. This skill is supposed to be a birthday gift? The least the skill could do is come with attribute points. Can you tell her that I could use more skirts?”

Veilura shared a forced laugh with her daughter before checking the soup. “It is important to note that she would likely never grant this skill to a human.”

“Oh.” Soleil had to stop and let that sink in. “Does she not want to kill demons? Anymore I mean?”

Veilura refused to answer for a time, instead seeing to the setup of the tent. When she joined Soleil by the gentle fire, she reached out a supportive hand.

Soleil accepted the gesture, allowing her mother to squeeze her fingers.

“That remains to be seen. I need you to understand that I am being hopeful here. But I think that she is coming around to the idea that we are not her enemies. Which is more than we have ever expected from entities like her.”

“Should I just start expecting everything to be this complicated?”

“If you do, I hope you will be pleasantly surprised by all the simple joys in life.”

“Well. The soup smells good.”

“That it does.”

Soleil wasn't sure what it was about the flavor, but it tasted of bittersweet victories.