Chapter 5: Water
Desire was sitting on the ground while looking up with an aloof expression.
He was thinking about the magic session that he will take part.
As his teacher wasn't here yet, he spent the time trying to solve his problem.
The problem that he was thinking about was the fact that he had one mana. He called his status page as to ascertain it once more.
[Status]
[Name: Desire]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 1 month old]
[Rank: Cannot be identified]
[Title: None]
[Divine protection: Cannot be identified]
[Attributes]
-Life Force: 60
-Mana: 1
-Strength: 55
-Speed: 55
-Intelligence: 60
-Energy: 55
[Active skills]
-Light skill: G
-Excavator skill: F
-Summon Familiar skill: G
[Passive skills]
-Night vision: G
-Life Force Regeneration: G
-Body control skill: No rank
[Super skills]
-None
He mulled over the details of his status. He still only had one mana. As a person (baby) who will be undergoing a training session of magic, that amount of mana is just too little.
Well, it seems that his other attributes have increased but it still doesn't amount to much. The only thing that could be called as his real skill is the Summon Familiar skill that uses his life force to maintain the familiar.
"Haaah."
Really, Desire's life was full of troubles, even though he should have none of it at his age.
"Desire!"
A voice called out to him from a far while he was contemplating. The voice had a tone that any man would want to listen to.
He looked at the caller and spoke.
"Lyra, why are you here?"
"I'm the one teaching you. You know that you can't go straight into advanced magic right? So, instead of mother I will be teaching you the basics first."
Desire found that reasoning reasonable so he nodded his head but there's something that caught his attention. He asked,
"By the way, do your people not wear clothes..? I've been here for at least a week now but it seems to me that you don't wear one?"
Indeed, everyone in the village didn't wear clothes. Even Lyra didn't have something on her when they first met. So he was curious about it.
"What's this? Are you perhaps..?"
Lyra responded with a mischievous smile but Desire didn't seem to understand.
"What is it?"
Lyra sighed, thinking that Desire was too oblivious for that topic. After all, the only reason Desire asked is because he was interested in the way of life of Suckus.
"It's nothing.. I'll teach you the basic water magic: water."
As Lyra said that, she held out her hand in front and water began spouting out from her palm. Water was flowing out calmly until it ran out.
Desire's reaction in his mind was.."That's the basics of the basic isn't it?!"
Of course, he couldn't show it on the surface as that would disrespect her.
Lyra had a difficult to read expression on her face as she struggled to omit her thoughts that she had on Desire's mana.
"But..I think that you won't be able to learn magic at all. In fact I have no idea as to how to teach you. "
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you only have one mana right? Even this basic magic needs tens of mana. I believe that you can only learn magic as you grow older as that will help to increase your mana."
Desire hung his head. It seems like he really wouldn't be able to learn magic, what with his one mana.
But Desire hasn't given up. He wanted to try for now and if it doesn't work then that's fine.
He asked Lyra to continue on about her lessons.
Time passed as Lyra was explaining on how to use mana in order to manifest the magic.
It was finally Desire's turn to try it out.
Lyra spoke with an expectant tone. She wanted to see if a baby could perform magic.
"Now then, try it. Use the same method that I told you to so you could have your mana flow smoother."
Desire stepped up and held out his tiny hand. He was feeling anxious as he tried remembering the details. He knew that it would be fine if he failed here but it seems the pressure of not being able to use magic was greater than he thought.
He directed the mana to flow out of his body but soon he felt strange..
'It's indicated that it's only one mana but why do I feel that it's huge?'
As the mana started to flow out of him, water sprung out.
However it wasn't like Lyra's. The water was cutting through the dirt as if it was a sharp blade and it made a mark on the ground. Even now, it was still protruding out of Desire's palm.
Startled by this, Lyra jumped back and asked.
"What's happening?! Desire!"
But Desire couldn't hear her. Desire was having a hard time regarding his magic.
'I-it's hard to control! Just what is happening?!'
He couldn't control the magic that he used. In the midst of all that, the women started to notice the ruckus and even Liya has come. She asked Lyra.
"What happened here?!"
"I-I don't know! Desire was using the magic: water but as you can see, the result is that.."
Lyra tried her best to answer as calmly as she could but she is as confused as them.
As if indicating that Desire's repertoire of mana has started to empty out, the water has stopped being a sharp blade and soon, the water stopped leaking.
They started to ask questions about it from the baby himself but he was just as confused about it.
While speaking to the women, he heard a voice. The source of the voice was not from the women but from the inside of his head.
[Desire has gained the skill: Auto Mana Regeneration]
It was joyful news for any other magician but for Desire, it wasn't anything important.
The people started to disperse after the event and Desire was brought in the house where he was currently staying in.
Liya and the others decided to let him rest and ask questions later. After all, the poor boy only had one mana. If it runs out, he'll pass out and furthermore they won't be able to eat it.
Desire was lying on his bed as he recalled the events that occurred earlier.
"Just what happened..After I used the magic, the supposed to be basics of the basic was that strong. The strange thing is that I didn't even run out of mana.."
After the water subsided, he immediately checked his mana and he found out that it didn't run out.
He could only feel weird about this turn of events.
He felt stupid. He felt useless.
He could only feel that way as he didn't know anything about himself. His mana that's supposed to be low didn't run out after using magic that requires tens of it. His being able to become conscious as a baby, even the summoning skill that he got was strange.
He was supposed to know everything about himself but he didn't even know a single thing about himself.
Desire let out a breath of regret from his mouth.
'I can only wonder..'
While Desire was questioning himself, a meeting was taking place in a desolate land.
Its weather wasn't the best and the surroundings had the terrifying feel to it.
The ground was colored red and many bones were lying on it.
Three men have gathered here in this place and each of them is leading a powerful faction on their back.
The tall man that was wearing a robe over his body and a hood over his face was standing in the center. The only skin that was visible was the skin around his mouth. One could see that he was pale. No, it would be more correct to say that he is white.
The tall man spoke to the other men.
"I can't think of him as the one in the prophecy though it is indeed weird that he is able to summon us."
"It would be for the best to keep an eye on him. The clue that we only have about that person is that he is capable of summoning. It is said that he can even summon beings from other worlds."
The one who replied was a man who had a large build and a horn growing out of his forehead as if to pierce the sky. He wore clothes that were in contrast to the tall man. The clothes that He wore were showing skin as much as possible. Thanks to that, his muscles were in public view.
"The pressing matter is that the queen is becoming weaker by the day, if it goes on like this..this world will collapse."
The other men nodded their heads at the words of the third man. Man may be the word but he wasn't one. He was a small bird flapping his small wings to stay afloat.
"I also have information that a traitor is among us. I don't know his identity yet but he is influential. Not as much as us, of course."
"What?! Traitor? What kind of fool is it?!"
"Calm down, the guy just said he doesn't know the identity yet."
The large man immediately corrected his tone after being reprimanded by the tall man.
"If that traitor exists and he does something funny.. just the thought sickens me."
"Indeed. Anyways keep an eye on the individuals that you think might be the one. Make sure to be tedious about the details.."
The meeting continued on for hours as they still have many topics to talk about their world.