Chương 9: Chapter Nine

"Are those trees?" I asked dumbly as we step inside of the building, which was many times larger inside than out. Large enough that the trees growing out of the floor didn't look crowded. Looking up made me dizzy. I tried to see past the interwoven branches to the ceiling above only for my eyes to be drawn to the dancing orbs of light moving about causing the shadows to flicker around me.

"Come on." Mom said, walking between the trees. She was headed towards a small stepping bridge that spanned a stream traveling across the floor. Soft grass met my feet as I hurried to catch up. I try to keep up, but my attention keeps getting grabbed by the details. There were tables between the trees. A couple of them had patrons sitting, eating, drinking, and chatting with each other. A breeze came out of nowhere.

It brought a touch of summer's warmth, a bit of coolness, and the smell of wildflowers while causing my hair to dance as I reached Mom's side. And the mana! The mana was everywhere! Swirling in patterns I didn't recognize, dancing between the trees, flowing with the water. Not the ambient mana that always flowed towards me. These were living, breathing, spells woven into the very foundation of this room. It felt a bit strange to be so certain about that. Mom's never even shown me a spell before.

The bartender was talking with Mom, but my attention was drawn to the wall behind her where vines were arranging and rearranging a series of bottles behind the bar producing the rhythmic tinkling that had been a constant background noise since entering.

"Suite one's yours, Miranda." The barkeep said.

"Thank you Benna. Oh, this wonder-lost imp is my daughter, Lyra." Mom said nudging my shoulder slightly.

"It's nice to meet you Lyra. Do you like my place?" The question came with a small smile and twinkle in her eye telling me she already knew the answer. Benna was clearly a demon with dark skin. Alabaster horns wrapped around her head, curving forward into delicate points. She had leathery wings which were folded to not be in the way. I couldn't imagine how her pale yellow dress supported them while still being a dress.

"Yes, it's wonderful." My voice was soft as I looked around taking it all in again.

"You made all this?" My feelings of wonder shifted to being impressed by the woman who created everything I was looking at. She hummed an affirmative.

"Don't listen to everyone that teaches you how to throw fire and rain destruction down on your enemies when they say it's the most powerful magic around. If you want to truly master magic, you need to learn how to use it to create." Mom scoffed but it didn't contain any heat and Benna winked at me.

"Like you don't know how to rain destruction down on your enemies." Mom ribbed, but broke off when Boyan fussed.

"Of course I do!" Benna declared proudly.

"Everyone starts somewhere. It's just not the end of the road!" Her wings flexed as she spoke, especially when she became adamant about something, and I wondered if they would give her emotions away if she were trying to hide them. Wait, don't my ears do the same thing? I reached up and grabbed my ears folding them down. My cheeks weren't heated, but my ears were already starting to turn red in embarrassment. Crap, they do! Benna chuckled.

"Looks like we've embarrassed her. Though I don't know how."

"She's still adapting after her Becoming." Mom explained and I let my ears go. They snapped up, but not as straight as before. I couldn't help but feel they were a bit droopy.

"How about we find a table to wait for your father, and we can start going over Mana Control. You'll need to learn the skill before you can start learning how to cast any spells." I nodded as Benna shooed us promising to bring something to eat. We took a seat beneath a maple tree and she started describing the Mana Control skill. It breaks down to 'intentionally moving mana'. During her description, Benna came by and placed a couple bowls of stew in front of us along with a mug.

Mine was clearly a juice of some kind, while Mom's was ale. Before she left she pulled a stick from her apron and cast a spell. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I couldn't follow the words she spoke, but I watched as spider-like runes flowed over the stick before a spark of Benna's green mana flared tracing the runes into the wood before it started glowing a deep blue color.

"It's a cooling stick. Stir your drink with it. A gift, to remember creation magic is the best magic." Mom waved her off and I stirred my drink watching as the wooden cup took on frost and ice began to form in my drink. Mom continued her explanation as I took a drink of the now-very-cold drink in delight. Benna might be right about creation magic.

"You're going to have to practice this on your own. I can't see your internal mana just like you can't see mine. You can only see it when you express it. Which is what we will work on next. But you need to tell me you can move your mana. Remember, if it hurts stop. I will answer any question you have like always dear." I nod and close my eyes trying to get ready for my first try at moving my mana circularly through my body when Evan walked in. Neera was beside him.

Several other Toordor walked in behind him heading to the bar, but they veered off coming to our table. I decided to take a bite of the stew instead. I still can't get over how much better this is then the pampaw fruit I had mainly eaten before joining them. Maybe if I eat enough, I will forget the horrible taste of those fruits. I smile. Wouldn't that be great?

"Hey you three." Evan said pulling out a chair and sitting down. Neera's stomach grumbled causing me to giggle and offer her my bowl.

"It's fine, I'm not really hungry yet." I offer when she resisted, but not all that hard as she was quickly eating the stew as fast as she could swallow it.

"Got everything set up?" He asked after watching my and Neera's byplay.

"Yes. One suite, three bedrooms, one bath. Suite one."

"Good. Good." Evan says reaching into a belt pouch.

"I had Neera get you a couple of things Lyra." That drew my gaze from Neera's eating.

"For me?" He nods and hands me a necklace. It's… not remarkable. A simple delicate chain and a oval shaped locket made out of copper. I tilt my head trying to understand the significance of it, only to open my eyes wide when he hands it to me and I felt the mana coursing inside it.

"What is it?" I asked bringing it up to my eyes.

"It's a tracking amulet." Evan explained.

"Once you put it on, only the person with the finding rod" he waved a small metal rod he pulled from a pouch "can take it off. With it, if you disappear we will quickly be able to find you." I frown at the disappear part, a certain robed elf came to the forefront of my mind.

"It's just a precaution, Lyra." Mom said. I nodded and attempted the clasp, but my fingers were to clumsy to open it my first try. Luckily, it was big enough I could put it on over my head. Tossing my hair to let it settle I felt it pulse its mana into me creating a connection between us. I swear I could see the faint lines connecting it to the rod in Evan's hand.

"And these." He said putting three clear pieces of glass on the table before looking at me expectantly.

"Okay… what are these?" I asked poking one with my finger. Neera laughed, almost choking on the last of her stew.

"They're soul shards Lyra." Mom said bouncing Boyan who had gotten bored.

"Just swallow them, before they draw peoples attention." Soul shards? As in levels? But why level me up? I took one hesitantly and put it in my mouth. I didn't need to swallow, as soon as it touched my tongue it dissolved causing a warmth spread throughout my body. I felt my status page… do something… to bring my attention to it. But I didn't open it. Neera and Evan were both nodding urging me on as I reached for the other two.

"You won't want to spend your stat points…"

"Of course she'll want to spend her stat points." Neera spoke over Evan.

"But look, Lyra. It's easy to train all your stats up to 10 without relying on levels. Except for spell power. You can't train that. Or at least, we don't know a way to train that. So your first five you should put into spell power." Neera concluded.

"My first five, but…"

"It's customary to level a child up to level five before sending them to school." Evan said glaring at Neera.

"Unfortunately, we didn't have the time to collect five of them. So you'll have to give us time to get the other two. I'm surprised Neera managed to find three." Evan explained and I nodded.

"I know the hunters around here." Neera said shrugging.

"What Neera said wasn't wrong. You will be able to train all your stats to ten in the first couple years at the academy. So Spell Power is the best place for them to go." Mom said, causing Evan to frown at her instead of Neera.

"I've got along just fine without a point going towards Spell Power." Mom patted his shoulder, but Neera had a look I've come to realize equated to 'my younger brother's being stupid and I need to correct him'. I sighed as she started in on him closing my eyes to try the exercises Mom taught me about. First I had to find my mana pool. She explained it was like a small pool of liquid within your 'self'. So I had to find it. Just feel the mana within myself and follow it to the pool. It sounded easy.

I tune out Evan's excuses and try. After a couple of failed starts, I manage to direct my mana senses inward. It was actually simple to do once I found the trick of inverting my senses. Then things got… very cyan. Finding mana was easy. It was everywhere! Following it to a small pool of mana… that proved problematic. My mana didn't seem go anywhere! It just sat there, lazily swaying. Mentally prodding the mana with an internal 'move!' didn't work. It didn't hurt, like Mom warned, but it didn't feel right either.

I bet I could stay here for days and the mana wouldn't move more than back and forth. Could I look at other mana? I tried. I found more. It continued to move in the same swaying motion. Something was wrong.