Path of the Pioneers

I stand opposite the elf, staring slack-jawed at the alert window. Again, my eyes roll over the text written there.

[Instructor registered: ‘Vagrant’]

There was Sorceress, Blademaster, and now Vagrant? I blink a few times at them.

“Are you quite alright?” They cock their head to the side, “Did something interesting happen?”

I was still unsure of the situation I was in. I disarmed the elf through [Transmutation], but it didn’t feel as if I had control of anything in the least. I could feel the difference in our strength just in our brief interaction, so relief should wash over me from the notification. Still, I’m uneasy.

Instructors haven’t been registered so easily in the past.

“I-it’s nothing..” I dismiss the alert, and the window fades away from view. A small smirk comes to the elf’s face.

“Shall I tell you my name?” They pause for a moment, as if mulling it over, and then nod, “Yes, I shall.” I watch as they crouch down, shoving the end of their hilt into the sands below, “I am Jemith.” They stand, and I watch as a blade emerges along with their hilt, the saber fully intact as if nothing had happened to begin with, “One of the last few to wander this place.”

“It.. Called you a vagrant.” I mutter to myself, and they raise an eyebrow.

Jemith sheathes their saber at their hip, “A vagrant, eh? I suppose I am, aren’t I?”

“Do you know what this place is? I.. Was told it was called ‘Hyperborea’ or something..?”

They nod, and turn to face out into the valley, “That it is. Are you very familiar with the Sea of Mana, child?”

My gaze turns to where they are looking, and I watch the sand rolling across the surface of the more settled stuff as the breeze picks up, “I’ve.. Heard mention of it in the past. Nothing more than that.”

“Hmm.” They crouch down once more, digging their hands into the sand, “The Sea of Mana refers to the flow of magic through the world.” They lift up their hands, and I watch sand begin to fall between the cracks of their fingers, “All of the mana flowing through our world coalesces in this land: Hyperborea. It used to be quite a beautiful place before the Awakening Event began.”

“Those stalks you see prodding out of the ground are but remnants of a grand root system.” They shake their hand off, putting a finger up to their mouth and licking the tip of it. For a moment, they raise the finger up into the air, glancing in a direction, “It supported a tree larger than any city I’ve ever stepped foot in.” They point towards where their gaze lingers, “And it was that way. Although, I would recommend you give the remnants of it the widest berth you can.”

Is this real? Is one of the few thoughts swirling around in my mind. I still wasn’t clear on the details of the second chance granted to me, but it almost seems more likely that this is some extreme version of the afterlife.

“By the by, I think I can already see an area for improvement.” In the midst of my thinking, Jemith had come face to face with me, and I try to ignore every reflex in my body telling me to back off. They point a finger at me, almost enough to jab into my face, “Hm. It was hard to tell, since candidates don’t usually come already awakened, but, you really do already possess a class, don’t you?”

“Y-yes..?” I take one step back, “I.. I’m already awakened, yes.”

They nod, “That explains it, then.” They take a step down the dune, “What is your class, then?”

“My class is called Apprentice. I’m.. Good at learning things, magic is what I’m best at.”

Jemith turns to face me for a moment, unbothered by the precarious position they take on the steep slope of the dune, “Truly? Then perhaps I’ll be able to teach you more than I thought in the time we have.” They laugh raucously, and then take me by surprise by stomping their right foot into the sand. Panic sets in as I watch the surface layer of the sand around me begin to slide down the dune.

“Come then, apprentice!” They throw their hands into the air, and step forward, placing their left foot in front of their right. Their behavior reminds me of nobody else except for my master. She acted much in the same way.

I feel the sand sweep around my ankles, lightly tugging me downward. Jemith has begun to slide down the hill, effortlessly balancing themself with their outstretched arms. I do as they did, stepping onto the rolling sand and keeping myself steady, letting it pull me down along with it. They travel much faster than me, but I manage to avoid making a fool of myself by falling over -- that is all I could ask for.

As we reach the bottom of the valley between dunes, Jemith shouts back at me over the almost metallic sound ringing out from the sands, “You said your name was Syb something, child?”

“Sybil!” I shout back over.

“Sybil! A fine name, yes! The title granted to the oracles of eld… Have you many visions of the future, then?”

 The last of the sand piles up around our ankles, and I would fear for my boots if they weren’t of such a high quality. I’ve never heard where my name comes from, was this it? “No.. No visions…”

“Truly? Perhaps it’s for the best. Glimpses into what’s to come often only serve to cause fear.” They begin to walk away from me, silently beckoning for me to follow along, “Let’s begin with the most glaring gap in your knowledge.”

I begin to follow behind them, feet sinking into the sand with each step as it’s still settling, Jemith continues, “You’re under the misapprehension that mana stems from the heart.” One of their hands go up, a finger waggling through the air, “A common belief, I must admit. It makes plenty of sense why the same misconception would pervade your own learning.”

They turn, walking backwards in order to face me as they speak, “But you see, the true answer is far more interesting!” They outstretch an arm, and sand begins to rise up to meet their hand, swirling gently and swaying around it in the same way as it does with the visroots, “When we are born into this world, our souls are fractured off from the Sea of Mana, and then take place within the body created by the pieces of our parents.”

“W-wait.. Our souls are pieces of the Sea of Mana?”

“More or less, yes. It starts out rough and sharp. The body refines it over time, however. Like polishing a stone! Some bodies are better at this then others, and that’s where the differences begin.” The sand around their hand begins to coalesce into one piece, turning into a spiraling vortex hovering just above their palm. “Over time, as the soul develops, it begins to affect the body just as much as the body affects the soul. Just as each crystal has different facets, each and every person is different from the last.”

“Our source of mana is that soul we were granted at our birth. Which means that the energy is formless, but something that can be manipulated with control. It’s meant to fill our vessel in its entirety, child. And if we so choose, it can flow even further.”

I stop in place, eyes closing as I begin to think and concentrate. Mana is an extension of the soul, not something generated within the heart. It’s a formless energy that can fill my entire body with ease. Why had it so readily taken to the heart, then? It always felt natural casting in that way, as if it were meant to be done that way. My master always told me that your image of mana was the most important thing in spellcasting. She had never told me anything about this.. But why?

It’s a denial of so much. Where would one think the ‘center’ of their self is? The brain is responsible for your conscious thought, and the heart pumps blood throughout your body. Lungs provide the air we need to survive. So would the brain be more ‘you’ than the rest of them? Certainly not the heart, at least.

No… Every piece of someone’s body is them. It’s inhabited by their soul, by their spirit.

My body feels tingly, as if something is rushing through me.

In my mind, I imagine mana flowing through my body. I almost fear that it may damage something. But it needn’t be concentrated in my heart. No… This energy is meant to come from every part of me.

I push outward, following the same feeling as when I use [Aesthesia], guiding the mana through me. Energy begins to flow out gently from my heart, coursing out over the rest of me slowly and delicately. I can feel it, and see it within mind’s eye. My heart isn’t what creates this, my soul is. The spirit that fills my body.

From my head to the tips of my toes, my mana covers me like a blanket, and it feels as if I’ve been made whole. I feel a pale glow fill me, but it casts no light. It’s as if I’ve spent my entire life clueless to the truth about my existence.

But I’ve discovered it now.

[Congratulations! You have grown closer to the true nature of mana.]

[Congratulations! A skill has been unlocked: Mana Control]