Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Eli sat in the cool, dim light of the cave, feeling the warmth of the fire nearby as he tried to process everything he’d just experienced. The cave was quiet except for the crackling of flames, and Alira moved with practiced ease, gathering small pouches from her pack.

Alira grabbed a bottle of clear liquid and handed it to Eli, “Pore this over your skin and clothes and it will get rid of the grim and blood stains.”

“When you are done with that, give me your shirt and I will repair it.” She said, still rummaging through her satchel.

“So, clean my self and my clothes with this,” holding up the bottle of clear liquid. “And then give you my shirt so you can fix it for me?”

“You sure you don’t have an extra magical shirt in there that I can wear?”

“One that grants plus 5 speed or something?” He said as he started to pore drops of the liquid on to his skin. He watched in amazement as the liquid dissolved all the blood and dirt on him and his clothes.

“This is very cool. Can you just pick this up at your local Walgreens?”

“No idea what that is, but you can pick some up usually at a market, but I make my own, I have trust issues when it comes to apothecary.”

“I also do have a shirt you can wear. It has flowers on it.” She said, holding it out.

The shirt was dark green with bright pink flowers that looked like a mix between a rose and a sunflower. He took off his blood stained dirty torn t-shirt and put Alira’s shirt on. For a split second, the shirt was too small. But then it expanded to fit him comfortably.

“Holy shit, you have clothes that can magically fit to your size!” Eli said in disbelief.

Alira chuckled, “Mana is pretty amazing.”

“Let me make you something to eat,” she said, eyeing his disheveled state with a slight smirk. “It will help you regain some stamina, and you definitely look like you could use it.”

Eli let out a small, grateful laugh. “Yeah… not every day you get dropped into a magic kingdom and immediately fight creatures that look like someone was drawing a rat but changed their mind and went tiger halfway through.”

Alira chuckled softly as she stirred the pot over a smaller fire. “Kash’tar, yes. Caelum has all manner of creatures—some friendly, some… less so.”

She sprinkled in a handful of herbs, and a subtle, earthy aroma filled the cave. “Kash’tar are strange even for Caelum. They are drawn to high-intensity mana and can travel quite a distance to these mana-rich areas.”

Eli was barely paying attention. His gaze was fixed on the interface floating in his vision. He kept trying to open the blinking symbol, but it wouldn’t respond. All he could see was his health bar and the strange purple mana star.

Alira glanced up at him from time to time, not wanting to press him but also hoping to give his mind a break from everything.

Eli shook himself from his trance and looked over at her. “So, how did you find me? Or, I guess… why did you decide to help?”

Alira paused, as if considering her answer. “The mana,” she said, as if it were the most natural explanation in the world.

“It led me to you. A couple of days ago, I felt a shift in Caelum’s mana—something unusual. The flow is usually fairly predictable, but it was acting flowing in more of a way you would see water with a hole in the bowl.”

She added a few more ingredients, her voice calm but reflective. “And then, just yesterday, I was meditating and had a vision—of a stranger. His skin glowed like bronze, his soul fractured and alone. I could feel your spirit, your grief, though I didn’t yet understand it. And then, your name, whispered on the wind. Eli.”

Eli’s eyes narrowed. “Well, that isn’t creepy at all.”

“So, this vision thing—you saw me, but none of the other students?” Eli asked skeptically.

“Yes,” Alira said, standing now and making direct eye contact with him.

“I promise you, Eli, we will try to find answers to what happened to them. Even if I have to go ask the Preserver and Reformer myself.”

“Thanks… and the who?” Eli said, rubbing his temples.

Alira chuckled. “They are the Balance, the Flow. They keep Caelum’s mana stable.”

“Riiight…” Eli said sarcastically. “So, they brought me here?”

“I don’t believe so, but that is a long story,” she answered.

“Okay, so how does mana even know I’m on my way here when my world doesn’t have mana?” he asked.

“Mana can reach across realms. It doesn’t happen often, but when a spirit from another world connects with ours, Caelum can sense it. It led me to you. I followed the pull of your energy, trusting that I’d reach you in time,” Alira said.

Eli watched her work, a strange feeling settling over him. “Is this why you kept telling me I’m here for a reason?”

“Partially, yes,” she said. “Mana doesn’t usually single an individual out like it did with you. And when I got here, I could feel your aura—the mana flowing through you.”

“It’s hard to explain to someone who can’t feel the flow of mana, but its current around you is quite unique.”

Eli looked at his hands, as if they held both the question and the answer.

“What makes it unique?” Eli asked, still looking at his hands.

Alira offered a small smile. “For one thing, I’ve never seen mana adapt itself so directly to an individual. You’re from a place with no connection to Caelum, no mana, yet the mana has chosen to tailor itself to you.” She grabbed something else from her bag and added it to the pot. “It’s even pulling elements from your past to help you transition.”

Her eyes twinkled with a hint of humor. “This… ‘HUD’ you speak of, for instance—it’s completely unique. The mana must have sensed your spirit’s needs, using what felt natural to you.”

He chuckled in amazement. “This whole… HUD thing is crazy. I mean, I can see my health, and then this purple orb thing, which I guess is my mana?”

Alira paused mid-stir, eyes narrowing. “Purple? Are you certain?” She looked at him with genuine curiosity, her voice dropping. “Purple mana is not something I’ve ever encountered.”

He looked up, surprised by her reaction. “Uh, yeah. It’s floating right here—” He pointed to his field of vision, knowing she couldn’t see it.

“It’s this faint purple color that has a pulse to it sometimes. It’s not health—the health bar is green and off to the side.”

Alira’s expression shifted from curious to intrigued, her gaze sharpening as she studied him. “Purple,” she repeated thoughtfully. “In Caelum, different colors of mana signify different strengths, purposes, even origins. Green mana flows through the plants and forests, blue mana is tied to water and healing. Red is often… well, it can be seen as dangerous, though the mana itself is not a danger. But red is connected to volcanic areas and raw power. I’ve seen all of these, gold, white.”

She paused, her brow furrowed. “But purple? That’s one I’ve never encountered.”

Her voice took on a quieter, almost reverent tone. “Colors often reflect purpose and origin. Purple is… different. Neither the Preserver nor the Reformer wield it. It lies outside the balance of the world as we know it.”

Eli shifted in his chair, glancing at her. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned the Preserver and Reformer. Again, ‘the who?’”

Alira nodded. “We can get into that later—after you’ve eaten and rested.”

“Okay, fine.” Eli sighed. “So… does that make this purple mana good or… bad?”

Alira smiled, her expression turning thoughtful—almost wistful. “Mana is only a force, Eli. It’s neither good nor bad on its own—it’s in how people wield it that meaning arises.”

She paused, gazing into the pot as if lost in a memory. “I’ve known good people who used what others would call dark mana, and very bad people who used whatever power they could get their hands on, even mana some would consider pure.”

Her voice softened, her gaze drifting as if she were seeing something distant—something painful. “I’ve seen many things, but the destruction of my village…” She looked away, stirring the pot absentmindedly.

“I lost everyone to the corruption mana can inflict on individuals. It’s strange,” she added softly, almost to herself. “I’ve thought more about that time in the last two days than I have in years.”

Eli’s heart sank slightly. He wanted to ask more, to understand her story, but the quiet sorrow in her expression told him now wasn’t the time.

Just then, Alira finished cooking and poured the warm stew into a bowl, handing it to him.

“Eat this. It’ll help you regain your strength and stamina.”

He took it, grateful, inhaling the earthy aroma. “Thank you. And… thank you for everything else. I can’t imagine how lost I’d be without you.”

Alira offered a gentle smile, her eyes softening. “You are welcome, Eli, but thank the mana. I’m simply following where it leads.”

Her voice held a hint of tenderness. “And remember what I said—mana itself is a gift, neither good nor evil. It’s up to each of us to choose what we make of it.”

Eli leaned back against the strange magical chair Alira had conjured, slowly working his way through the bowl of stew.

The rich, earthy flavor warmed him from the inside, but his attention drifted to something far less grounded—the strange interface lingering just at the edge of his vision.

As he ate, his eyes flicked toward the faint glow of the HUD. The icon that had been “downloading” finally seemed to be complete.

I just downloaded a mana HUD in my head, and I am eating stew from a magical lady named Alira. Sitting on magic light chairs.

He had to keep reminding himself that the insanity he felt was normal for her.

Eli shook his head and concentrated on the symbol, which looked like a circle with five orbs inside it. As he focused, the symbol opened, and more symbols faded into existence, emerging with a faint shimmer left behind by the original one.

Next to his health bar, which pulsed gently in vibrant green, was the curious purple mana orb. It hovered quietly at the end of the green bar, rotating slowly as if testing his attention.

The color seemed to deepen when he stared at it, the edges flickering faintly—like distant lightning.

Yet, as he continued to focus, a strange sensation settled over him—like the orb was meant to open, but something was holding it back. A faint, almost imperceptible shimmer surrounded it, like a lock waiting to be undone.

Eli narrowed his eyes.

Why does everything here have to be a mystery and give no hint as to what I’m supposed to do?

He poked at the air with his spoon as if that would change something. “I swear, if this thing needs some obscure key hidden in the middle of nowhere...”

Across the fire, Alira glanced up, raising an eyebrow. “Talking to yourself already? Caelum really is rubbing off on you quickly.”

Eli smirked without looking her way. “Hey, if I start arguing with myself, that’s when you worry.”

Her eyes twinkled with amusement. “I’ll keep that in mind. What are you staring at so intently?”

“My HUD,” he replied, gesturing vaguely in front of him. “It’s like… a minimalist interface. Health bar, the purple mana orb that won’t open, and a bunch of new icons—or I guess, symbols.”

He glanced at her, then back at the HUD. “I have a map icon in the corner, and a glowing scroll of some kind. This all feels like something out of a game.”

Her gaze lingered on him thoughtfully. “Mana adapting to someone’s needs isn’t unheard of, but I’ve never seen it craft something so... intricate.”

His focus shifted to the glowing scroll icon, and with a thought, the quest log opened. He read the glowing script aloud. “Venture into the Ash Forest and journey to the Heart Spring.”

Alira’s spoon hovered in the air. “The Heart Spring?” she repeated softly, her voice carrying a note of wonder. “That’s... curious.”

Eli glanced at her, sensing the shift in her tone. “Curious good or curious ‘let’s not do that’?”

Alira hesitated. “The Heart Spring is a myth to most in Caelum. A place said to be where mana itself was born. Many believe it’s just a story—a legend passed down through the ages.” Her eyes softened with quiet conviction. “But I have always believed it to be a real place, just hidden.”

Eli raised an eyebrow. “So, it’s like the Fountain of Youth?”

She frowned slightly, not recognizing the reference. “I don’t know this ‘fountain,’ but if it’s a tale of a place that grants great power or renewal, then yes, perhaps.”

He sighed, leaning back with exaggerated drama. “Great. I can’t get the easy quests, like ‘find a lost goat’ or ‘collect ten berries.’ No, I get sent after a magical spring no one’s ever seen. And let me guess—there’s probably some obscure key or magical trinket hidden in the most inconvenient location that unlocks this thing, isn’t there?”

Alira smiled faintly. “If the mana believes you capable of finding it, perhaps there’s more truth to the legend than I know.”

Eli chuckled. “Or it just has a twisted sense of humor.”

“Possibly,” she admitted, a flicker of amusement in her eyes. “Or perhaps it’s nudging you toward something greater than you realize.”

Eli tilted his head, giving her an exaggeratedly skeptical look. “You are really leaning into this wise guide thing,” he said, a grin tugging at his lips.

Alira raised an eyebrow, placing her belongings back into her bag. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Oh, definitely. Very mystical of you,” Eli teased, leaning forward. “Next thing I know, you’ll be giving me vague advice that only makes sense after everything’s gone horribly wrong.”

Alira laughed openly this time, shaking her head. “I promise, I’ll try to give you fair warning—when I can.”

Eli tilted his head, giving her an exaggeratedly skeptical look. “Well, that’s reassuring. I’ll take whatever help I can get, or luck.”

She chuckled, her voice light and genuine. “I will try to help keep luck at a minimal need, but I have a feeling you’ll learn quite a bit before you’re done. And a little bit of luck doesn’t hurt.”

Eli rolled his eyes, smirking. “Yeah, I’ll make sure to keep a rabbit’s foot handy.”

Alira’s brow furrowed, and she tilted her head, looking genuinely puzzled. “Rabbit? I don’t think I know that word. Is it… a creature of your world?”

Eli paused mid-bite, blinking. “Wait, you’ve never seen a rabbit? They’re… small, fluffy animals with big ears. Hop around. Super cute. It’s a thing where I’m from.”

He chuckled, but a thought suddenly struck him. “Hold on… how are we even understanding each other? You’ve never seen a rabbit, but we’re having this whole conversation just fine.”

Alira’s expression shifted from curiosity to faint amusement. “Interesting question. Most people from other realms speak only in fragments here. But you… you’ve spoken as if you were born here.”

Just as Eli opened his mouth to respond, a soft glow flashed in his HUD, and a new notification appeared at the edge of his vision.

He focused on it, and the screen expanded, revealing a message.

**New Ability Discovered: Language Barrier**

*This ability allows you to speak any language and understand all spoken languages and writings in Caelum. *

Eli stared at the message. “So, that thing you said about Caelum ‘watching’ us…” He pointed to the air in front of him, where only he could see the screen. “According to this… I’ve got a new ability. Apparently, I can understand and speak any language here.”

Alira looked intrigued, her eyes shining with interest. “How remarkable. It seems Caelum truly is adapting itself to you. I’ve never known anyone to receive a ‘gift’ of language like that.”

Eli let the moment hang in the air, tapping the edge of his bowl thoughtfully. “Aren’t I the lucky one,” he said with a smirk, setting the bowl aside. “Though, if Caelum really is personalizing things for me, I really want a flaming sword, oh, or the ability to fly. Less mystery and more cosmic powers.”

Alira smiled knowingly. “Sometimes the mystery is the gift.”

Eli groaned playfully. “See, there you go again with the wise guide stuff.” He stretched his arms overhead, his eyes drifting back to the interface in front of him.

Shifting his focus, he locked onto the small bag icon floating in the corner of his HUD. With a thought, he opened it.

The air in front of him shimmered, and a translucent panel materialized—four rows by eight columns, faintly glowing and filled with a soft, swirling mist.

The inventory grid hovered at chest level, its edges flickering slightly, as if the entire thing wasn’t fully anchored to reality. Through the semi-transparent interface, Eli could still see Alira and the cave beyond.

His eyes widened. “Whoa… okay, this is amazing. Or my mind is broken. Maybe both.” The entire display pulsed faintly, and the objects inside—well, object, singular—were rendered in crisp, 3D detail.

Alira slowed, her brow furrowed as she glanced back at him. “What happened?”

His jaw dropped slightly. “Okay, this is seriously cool.”

Alira tilted her head, watching him with curiosity. “What are you doing?”

Eli glanced at her, grinning despite himself. “Opening my inventory. You know, dimensional storage. Apparently, I have one built into my HUD.”

He paused, letting out a low whistle. “I’ve played enough D&D to know this kind of thing is ridiculously rare. Even for magic.”

Alira stepped closer, her curiosity piqued. “You understand the concept?”

Eli nodded, still staring at the grid. “Yeah, kinda. It’s like a pocket dimension that only I can access. But seeing it in real life—or whatever this is—hits different. It’s one thing to describe it on a character sheet. It’s another to use it.”

He reached out experimentally, his fingers skimming over the misty grid.

As his hand hovered over the only object present—a small gray orb sitting in the second row—he could rotate it in three dimensions as if the stone existed in physical space but was trapped inside the screen.

“Okay… this is wild,” Eli muttered, leaning in to examine the stone.

“I guess I just… pull stuff out?” He reached toward the screen.

The mist rippled under his fingers as his hand passed into the translucent interface. A cool sensation spread over his skin as his arm glided into the storage.

From the outside, Alira watched as his arm disappeared, vanishing into thin air.

Her eyes widened slightly. “Dimensional storage… without a physical anchor? That’s…” She paused, a hint of disbelief creeping into her tone. “I’ve only seen such things wielded by Diamond-tier users.”

“Well, I’m definitely not that.”

The moment he grabbed the orb, his HUD flashed.

🔹 Item: Traveller’s Stone
🔹 Mana Rank: Unknown
🔹 Attuned To: Eli Thompson
🔹 Current Status: Active
🔹 Mode: Guidance
🔹 Guidance Location: Heart Spring of Caelum

Eli’s eyes widened. “Holy shit.”

His expression shifted as he read each line out loud, his gaze narrowing.

Alira leaned closer. “Your HUD tells you the item’s properties when you touch it?”

“Apparently,” Eli said, still eyeing the details. “This thing knows my name. That’s not creepy at all.”

Alira’s expression shifted from curiosity to something more serious.

She stepped closer, lowering her voice. “Eli, listen carefully. That ability—the one that lets you see the properties of objects—is not something you should speak of openly.”

Eli raised an eyebrow. “Okay. Why? It’s just a tooltip. Feels pretty standard-issue for video game logic.”

Alira shook her head. “No. In Caelum, only highly trained mages—scholars who have studied for decades—can decipher the nature of mana-infused items. Even then, they rely on tools and rituals to uncover an object’s properties. What you just did… you bypassed all of that with a touch.”

Eli glanced at the stone, then back at her. “Okay, but why is that a big deal?”

“Because,” Alira said, her voice lowering further, “many would kill for such an ability. To identify rare artifacts instantly—without tools or preparation—is something only a handful of people in this world can claim. There are entire factions in Caelum built around artifact discovery.”

She began pacing between her chair and his.

“To be able to see the nature of mana without aid is unheard of, even among the strongest mages. The few I’ve met who could do such a thing were Diamond-tier users, and even then, it was rare.” She stopped pacing and looked directly at Eli.

“You arrived here yesterday, and already you’ve displayed abilities beyond anything I’ve seen from Copper-tier users—or even high-tier warriors.” She held his gaze intently.

“A dimensional storage without a physical anchor, and now this… Eli, even one of these powers would draw attention. But together?” She shook her head. “The combination is unlike anything I have ever encountered.”

Eli exhaled slowly, gripping the Traveller’s Stone a little tighter. “Well, that’s… comforting. And not at all concerning.” He said this with a level of unease in his voice.

Alira’s expression softened slightly. “I am not saying this to scare you. But you must understand—power in Caelum is sought after. And not all who seek it do so with good intentions.”

Eli managed a smirk, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Good to know. I’ll keep the magical inventory tricks to a minimum in public.”

Alira gave a small nod. “That would be wise.”

“So,” Eli said—trying not to think about giant magical creatures imprisoning him just for touching weird magic things—“now that I’m completely freaked out, back to this stone thing. It’s a magical compass. Or a GPS.”

Alira tilted her head. “A what?”

“GPS… you know, ‘Guidance… umm… GLOBAL… person… pop… you know what? It doesn’t matter. Magical compass is what we’ll go with.”

Alira just stared at him. “Your world is strange.”

Eli looked at her, perplexed. “My world is strange? I’ve been here for like twelve minutes, and I’ve already downloaded a mana guide into my head, I can pull magical compasses out of nowhere, and I’m about to go travel to some mystical Fountain of Springs. Oh, and all the while, I’m being guided by quests like I’m in a video game… which I’m not going to explain again.”

Alira smirked. “Okay, you have a point. Finish your stew, and we’ll start following your magical compass to your TV games.”

Eli was about to correct her statement but shook his head instead, shoving the Traveller’s Stone back into his inventory.

As he picked up his bowl again, his HUD sent him a message, displaying the properties of both the bowl and the stew.

[Clay Bowl – Common]

🔹 Description: Crafted by hand. Durable but unremarkable.
🔹 Durability: 48/50
🔹 Enchantment: None

[Wooden Spoon – Common]
🔹 Description: Crafted by hand. Durable but unremarkable.
🔹 Durability: 19/20
🔹 Enchantment: Smooth

[Wildroot Stew – Minor Restoration]
 Ingredients:

Eli took a deep breath and took a bite of his stew.

I might actually be insane. Fifty-fifty chance I’m lying in a psych ward somewhere, babbling about mana to some orderly who secretly hates us all and—okay, let’s not go down that deep, dark path.

Shaking off the thought, Eli focused on the icon below his inventory bag—a compass with a distinct 3D look. As he concentrated, a globe expanded into his view.

Alira watched as his head subtly tilted. “You look like someone peering through a window no one else can see,” she noted with quiet curiosity.

“That’s... not a bad description, actually.” Eli rotated the floating globe slightly. “One of my icons—uh, symbols—is a map. Or maybe a globe of Caelum. Most of it’s fogged over except for the trail we took to get here.”

“The world opens as you explore,” Alira said softly, her voice carrying a certain reverence.

She gave him a knowing grin. “Much like how Caelum reveals itself to those who seek it.”

Eli let out a quiet laugh. “You know, you’re really leaning into the whole ‘wise guide’ vibe.”

She smirked, returning to her stew. “Someone has to keep you grounded.”