Chương 34: Chapter Thirty-Three

It was nice spending time with Stella and Beth again. But the whole thing left me feeling funny. And now, I'm alone in my new room that smells like flowers for some reason, and all I can think about is my room at the Afterlight. And it was causing my stomach to clamp again. Which isn't good. It had food to squish this time. I needed something to keep my mind busy. Because I couldn't stop wondering what Mom and Dad were doing right now.

Lacking anything better to do, I decided to work on my Mana Control and the pathways I still hadn't connected. I was close to getting the first one though. I might even finish tonight. I hope something happens when I finish. Maybe my clean spell will be cleaner. I'll still have eleven more connections to make, but at least it's a start, right? I sighed. I guess there's a reason demons spend so much time here. I climbed into bed. There was no sense not being comfortable. I'd probably fall asleep after a bit.

And it sucks waking up with your face buried in a book, or with a pen stuck across your forehead. I closed my eyes and found the sea of mana within me. It came easily now. Having practiced this routinely for the weeks we traveled, then before I went to bed after we arrived. At least here, glowing won't bother anyone. I found the current I'd been working on; I could see the pathway I was trying to connect it to. There was no way to tell distances here. But it was close. I could feel that it was close.

I moved back to where my channel emptied into the ocean of mana and moved through the current pulling mana with me. The mana stayed with me until I hit the end of the current and moved forward as fast as I could. Some of the mana moved forward with me. Most got peeled away into the ocean. But I was closer. Again and again, I ran the same process, moving ever toward the entrance to the channel leading into the next part of my body. Then, finally. I touched it.

I was immediately pulled into the outbound channel moving faster than I had ever moved before. It was disorienting. And pressure started to build in my right arm. It was hard to explain. It didn't feel dangerous. More like being wrapped in a heavy blanket that should have always been there but wasn't for some reason. It felt comforting. Before I knew it, I was flying through the ocean of mana. A different channel had spit me out then the one I'd entered.

And I had cut through the ocean faster than anything I had done before. By the time my momentum came to a stop I had made a current through a good chunk of the ocean and could see the channel on the other side of the ocean it was lined up with. Days worth of work. Done in moments. I laughed, then moved over to the original current which I traveled down until the channel grabbed me and flung me through my own system. It was slightly less disorienting this time.

I was flung out again, and again I cut through the ocean along the same path, getting remarkably close to the next channel. Again! Another pass. Deeper. Smoother. I laughed in the space. Every pass cut another current through the ocean. What had taken me days was now taking moments. And I couldn't stop sliding through my channels! Faster and faster. Everything I tried to slow myself down failed. Then another connection formed. Then another. After the fifth they formed almost immediately.

I didn't even come to a stop in the ocean. I stopped counting after that. Eventually, the disorientation began to pass and I started thinking about what was happening. My experience in Bella's in came back to me, and I had to wonder if I was in danger of exploding like they all half joked about. I didn't feel like I was going to explode. I felt… Comfortable. The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. With that, I let go. I stopped trying to control the mana around me.

Stopped trying to slow it. I just let it take me where it would. And it did. At an increasingly fast speed. Eventually my speed stabilized. It was still fast, so wonderfully fast. I felt like I was everywhere at the same time. Stillness. And opened my eyes. And was blinded by cyan light reflecting off of everything! I quickly shut my eyes. My awareness of my mana hadn't faded. It was still circulating fast. I reached out and tried slowing it. Not pieces of it like when my mind was flowing through my own channels.

But all of it. At once. It reacted immediately. Peeking out from behind closed eyelids I found my room was in darkness. And breathed a sigh of relief. The system piped up: Attribute Mana Sense Leveled Up: 8 → 9. Attribute Mana Sense Leveled Up: 9 → 10. Attribute Mana Sense Leveled Up: Cannot advanced further. Evolution available. Attribute Mana Sense Evolved: Mana Insight Skill Mana Control Leveled Up: 9 → 10. Skill Mana Control Leveled Up: Cannot advanced further. Evolution available.

Skill Mana Control Evolved: Mana Integration Neat. Whatever you say system. I'm going to bed. Morning came all to soon, and Narith was relentless in getting me moving. Even though today was supposed to be a relaxing day before classes began. It felt as though she marched me down into the dining hall, the only thing missing was a chain. I marched up the stars and sat at the same table that I had yesterday grumpily. This time, in my school uniform. Robes were odd.

Basically, a dress with the opening on the front acceptable for boys to wear. Like I said, weird. Narith didn't give me a menu, instead she placed a pot of tea on the table and disappeared for several minutes. I wasn't awake enough to want to eat yet, so I wasn't annoyed. I had just finished my second cup of tea when Narith returned. With Beth and Stella marching in front of her. I immediately perked up. They both sat at my table looking uncomfortable. When they were seated, Narith handed out menus.

I didn't want to eat. Really. The smells coming from the nearby tables convinced me otherwise however and I order an omelet with hashbrowns and toast.

"So… Lyra. There was a bright cyan light over a good portion of the Academy last night…" Stella started, tripping over her words.

"What were you doing?" Beth asked simply. I flinched.

"I was practicing mana control." I said taking a sip from my newly refilled cup of tea.

"You don't make light when practicing mana control." Beth stated flatly. Stella nodded furiously. I frowned. Come to think of it, I'd only practiced in the wagon were only my family had to deal with my glowing. They didn't make a big deal about it. It was normal right? Beths face was unflinching. I nodded to myself and sped up my mana circulation. I started glowing immediately, but I was very careful to slowly increase the speed. Both of there eyes widened as the watched me.

Narith paused with a surprised expression for a moment.

"Well, you're not glowing per say. Your hair and eyes are." I immediately slowed my circulation back to its previous state. I saw, what was his name? Trevor. Pause at the landing before making his way to his table again. Only one of his friends following behind him.

"That wasn't as bright as yesterday." Beth continued and I stared at her.

"I'm not going to try and blind people." She paused before nodding as Narith disappeared to grab our food from wherever it was prepared at.

"That makes sense." Stella said reaching for a cup of tea. Narith had pinched some of the tea Altoroth gave me this morning and I watched with satisfaction as she took a sip and her eyes widened even further. Her cup paused.

"It's good, right?" A bit of purple colored steam lifted from the cup and swirled around Stella's eyes. Beth looked at her own cup with suspicion. Probably noticing the purple steam emanating from it.

"I thought it taste like flowers covered in berry syrup. Is that how you would describe it?"

"It's delicious." Stella admitted. Taking a larger drink before sitting it down.

"Where did you get it?" She asked mildly before answering.

"It takes like apples covered in honey." She admitted.

"Interesting."

"How can it taste so differently between you two?" I shrugged.

"I got it from Mr. Altoroth. He's a grandmaster potion maker. So, I can't tell you what's in it. But I got the impression he doesn't sell it."

"A grandmaster potion maker." Stella said swaying a little in her seat. Beth, tried her own tea.

"It's like…" She stopped talking and took another sip. We lapsed into silence each of us drinking our tea when Narith returned with our food. She shuffled the food from the tray onto our tables, and I found that my stomach did have room in it. Conversation slowly turned back to what our plans were for the day. But that didn't pick up until the tea had been drunk in full.

"I'm going to hide in my room, read, and generally relax. That's what today's for isn't it?" I asked.

"I'm going to go and try to cast the spell. Beth succeeded. I'll feel like a failure if I can't manage it soon." Stella said, reaching for the eggs or bacon on her plate. Beth had something fancy on hers. Some combination of bread, egg, and sauce that I couldn't identify. I would have to try it latter. For now, omelet!

"Mom said everyone learns at their own rate. You don't need to feel like a failure if your rate's slower than Beth's. So long as you keep trying, you'll get there. And that's the win." I nodded before stuffing my mouth with food.

"Perhaps. But I will have still won our bet." Beth said.

"Beph?" I asked not getting the real word out past the food. Stella chuckled. Narith was by my side in an instant.

"A lady never talks with their mouth full." I could swear it was Mom speaking out of Narith's mouth. The thought caused a pain in my stomach.

"So…" I went to apologize with my mouth still full and she pounded the top of my head with her fist. Stella and Beth laughed.

"If I have to be reduced to physical lessons, so be it." She said pounding the top of my head again until I put my arms up defending my head. Stella brought the conversation back on topic.

"We bet that we would each be able to cast a spell before classes started. If one of us managed and the other didn't, we would be doing their chores for a week." I made a face. That's a silly bet. But some people enjoy doing that, I guess.

"What spell did you manage to cast, by the way Beth. You never said." I asked.

"Light." Beth responded.

"Is that like Faerie Fire?" I asked thinking about it.

"Similar. It creates a source less light around me so I can see. And moves with me." I was nodding.

"So, you can glow too. Useful." Stella coughed, quickly covering her mouth as Beth paused in her meal to narrow her eyes at me. I just raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yes, Lyra. I glow." She deadpanned before returning to her meal.