Chapter 8

Chapter 8

As the path narrowed and the forest grew denser, Alira resumed explaining the Great War, her tone steady. Overgrown branches loomed closer, brushing against them as they walked.

Eli, trailing behind, started to notice something unsettling—the branches on both sides of the path seemed to be growing inward, slowly closing in.

Alira was in the middle of explaining how the Great War had spanned decades, slowly escalating into a full-scale world war, when the earth trembled beneath Eli’s feet.

He stumbled back as glowing roots surged across the path, blocking their way forward. The air crackled with mana, sparks flickering through the leaves and branches.

“Uh… is this normal? This doesn’t feel like a normal thing.” Eli asked, then immediately answered himself.

Alira, however, didn’t seem concerned.

She knelt beside the roots, placing her hands gently against the vines. “This is residual mana. The war left behind fragments of it that sometimes surface. It’s harmless, but it can be stubborn.”

Eli crossed his arms. “Okay, cool. Not sure I’d use ‘stubborn,’ but this is your forest. So, how do we get through?”

“Watch.”

Alira pressed her palms against the roots and exhaled slowly. A faint green glow spread from her hands, seeping into the vines. Instantly, they unraveled like silk, retreating back into the earth.

Eli blinked. “Right. Would you consider this a normal day in Caelum?”

Ignoring him, Alira asked, “Would you like to try?”

Eli smirked. “Sure. I’m sure my purple mana and I will make the trees feel at ease.”

Crouching down, he mimicked her movements, pressing his hands to the roots and closing his eyes.

Nothing happened.

Alira stifled a laugh. “It helps if you breathe.”

Eli scowled, pulling his hands away. “Is this my first lesson? I don’t think pop quizzes are something we should be throwing out on the first day.”

“Not a test, just seeing if it happened naturally. You healed yourself with no training, so I thought I’d see.”

“Magic isn’t really my thing,” Eli said.

“Not yet,” Alira said gently.

As the vines receded, Eli stood and dusted off his hands. The compass icon glowed again, as if confirming they were heading in the right direction.

Alira had already started back down the winding trail, with Eli trailing behind, mumbling “stupid magic trees.”

As they made their way along the winding path, the dense canopy of The Ash Forest loomed overhead, blocking out much of the sunlight and casting the path ahead in an eerie, shifting glow.

The forest had an unsettling stillness, as though it were holding its breath.

Eli couldn’t help but feel uneasy, his steps faltering slightly as he glanced at the towering trees around him.

His HUD, now integrated with the Traveler’s Stone, pulsed faintly in the corner of his vision, displaying their destination: The Heart Spring.

The glowing map guided him like a surreal gaming interface, the lines shifting with each turn of the path.

What if I am in a video game, and someone is actually controlling me. Would I even know? Pull yourself together, Eli, we are not in a video game. I don’t think at least.

Eli looked around when the trees creaked ominously in the wind. “You know, for an enchanted forest, this place has a serious horror vibe.”

Alira’s expression softened as she glanced back at him, her tone steady and reassuring. “You are fine, I can sense the creatures around us, and aside from a few small creatures, we are relatively safe.”

“Relatively?” Eli asked.

“Well, I never want to say something is 100% true. Yesterday I would have said a man from another realm with a mana guide in his head that could tell him what the composition was on anything he touched was impossible, but here you are, Eli.” Alira said as she gestured at him.

“Fair point.” Eli fell into step behind her, the path growing narrower and more twisted.

After a while, Alira slowed her pace and gestured to a clearing with moss-covered rocks and a small brook winding through. “Let’s rest here for a moment. I’ll explain what you need to understand about mana.”

Eli plopped onto a log, his usual smirk returning. “Alright, Professor Alira. Lesson number one, or number 6. Depending on how you want to count everything.”

Alira smiled warmly, kneeling to draw symbols in the soft earth. “Mana is the essence of Caelum, its lifeblood. It flows through every living thing, every blade of grass, every creature. But not all can wield it. Those whose affinities have manifested can wield it, and become Mana Users.”

She began sketching interconnected lines and symbols, her movements deliberate. “There are five core affinities: Elemental, Energy, Life, Physical and Spiritual. Each one governs a set of subtypes. Elemental ties to fire, water, earth, and wind—the forces of nature. Energy is volatile, controlling electricity and even the fabric of space-time. Life focuses on healing, growth, and balance. Spiritual deals with the intangible—light, shadow, and the mind itself. And Physical enhances the body, fortifying it or shaping the material world.”

Eli leaned forward, his bravado slipping as curiosity took over. “And people just… get one of these affinities?”

“Everyone is born with an affinity,” Alira explained. “But not everyone has theirs manifest. When it does, the journey to mastery begins. Most stay with a single affinity their whole lives. Emerald-tier users might unlock a secondary affinity, but that is extremely rare and dangerous. Balancing two affinities takes extraordinary discipline, and failure to do so can break the user.”

She paused, her expression thoughtful. “I’ve only ever heard of two instances of someone with three affinities: The Preserver and the Reformer. The Preserver wields Life, Elemental, and Spiritual. The Reformer commands Physical, Energy, and Life. No one has ever wielded four affinities, let alone all five.”

Eli frowned, his HUD pulsing faintly as though reacting to her words. “And me? Where do I fit in?”

Alira studied him carefully, her green eyes soft but filled with curiosity. “I don’t know yet, Eli. Your mana doesn’t settle like most people’s. It resonates with all five affinities, cycling through them as if unsure of what it wants to be. I’ve never seen or heard of anything like it.”

She sighed, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “It might mean that when we reach the Heart Spring, you’ll unlock a single affinity and can begin to focus. Or…” she hesitated, “…it might mean something else entirely.”

Eli exhaled sharply, trying to process her words. “So, am I broken? Because that is a fantastic way to start my life on an alien world.”

Alira’s smile returned, warm and reassuring. “What you have within you is unlike anything I’ve witnessed or read about in all my years. That makes you unique, not broken.”

“I feel like that is supposed to make me feel better, but now I feel like I need a special education teacher.” Eli said as he watched Alira draw in the dirt.

Alira went on, ignoring his last comment.

She was tracing a series of tiered lines in the dirt, adding new symbols to her diagram.

“There’s something else you need to understand—mana tiers. Every user progresses through these levels of mastery. Copper is where it all begins. At this tier, people first tap into their mana—a flicker of flame, minor healing, a brief surge of strength. It’s raw and instinctive.”

“Like baby steps?” Eli asked, his cocky tone faltering.

“Yes, exactly,” Alira said with a kind smile.

“Then comes Silver. At this stage, users gain control, shaping their mana into sustained effects: streams of water, protective barriers, or healing that does more than just patch surface wounds.”

“Gold follows, where true mastery begins. Users specialize, often combining subtypes. A Gold-tier healer could mend broken bones effortlessly, while an Elemental user could call storms or sculpt walls of stone.”

Eli nodded slowly, “Okay, makes sense.”

“Emerald,” Alira continued, her tone reverent. “At this level, a user can harmonize with mana outside their primary affinity. It’s no longer just about mastery—it’s about synergy. Unlocking a secondary affinity at Emerald is rare, and doing so safely requires immense discipline.”

“Sounds like a scary person.” Eli said, his voice quieter.

“Ruby. Ruby-Users are quite powerful.” Alira said. “A Ruby-tier user can reshape entire landscapes, summon storms, quell earthquakes, or even create life where none existed. Their power is immense, but so are the stakes. Few ever reach this level.”

She paused before finishing. “And then there’s Diamond. It’s said that at this level, mana itself becomes an extension of the user’s will.”

Alira glanced up at Eli as she spoke. “They can bend reality, but such power often comes at a cost. Many believe Diamond-tier users are called to the Celestials, their purpose fulfilled. But again, Diamond Tier Users are more myth than anything. I have met two, aside from the Preserver and Reformer, both seemed like mythical entities, which I guess makes sense that the myth is they are called to the Celestials.”

“Celestials?” Eli asked.

Before Alira could respond, she looked at Eli with a little worry in them. “Listen Eli, there are 3 Kash-Tar about to strike at us. I will take care of them, but I wanted to warn you before they just showed up.

Before Eli could respond, a guttural growl broke the forest’s stillness. His HUD flashed red as three Kash-Tar emerged from the shadows, their glowing eyes locked on the pair.

Eli glanced around, looking for something to protect himself with. He wrapped his hand and tightened on a stick just to his left.

Eli’s heart was pounding. He couldn’t speak, the fear these things induced, all crushing back down on him.

Alira rose, calm and composed, her eyes narrowing slightly as she assessed the threat. “Stay behind me,” she said, her voice as steady as ever.

The Kash-Tar lunged. Alira’s movements were a blur, almost too fast for Eli to follow.

Her hands glowed faintly with a green-blue hue as she stepped forward.

With a single fluid motion, she drew a slender blade from her side and slashed through the air.

As the creature flew past Alira, it landed about a meter in front of Eli, causing him to stumble backwards and falling backward onto the log he had just been sitting on. The creature, its lifeless body sliding the meter to the feet of Eli.

Alira pivoted smoothly, sidestepping another that tried to flank her. Her blade sliced cleanly, the creature falling into two without a sound. The final Kash-Tar hesitated for only a moment, but it was a moment too long. Alira called upon her mana and thick vines erupted from the ground, wrapping tightly around the creature’s body. With a flick of her wrist, the vines constricted, and the Kash-Tar collapsed, lifeless.

It had all happened in seconds. Eli sitting there, frozen, his grip on the branch loosening as he stared at the three motionless creatures. The forest was silent again, save for the faint rustle of leaves in the wind.

Alira turned back to him, her expression calm and collected. “Do you see now?” she asked softly.

Eyes narrowing at seeing Eli sitting on the log again, Eli swallowed hard, his voice quieter than usual. “Yeah, I definitely see.”

The fear he’d felt wasn’t just about the Kash-Tar. It was the realization of how far he had to go, how much he had to learn.

His usual quips died on his lips, replaced by quiet resolve. She reached for his hand to help him up and he grabbed it. As soon as he did, his HUD flashed:

☰ Entity: Alira Sylvanra
☰ Species: Human
☰ Affinity: Elemental / Life

☰ Mana: Unknown

☰ Tier: Ruby

☰ Titles: Unknown

☰ Status: Unknown

Eli blinked, staring at the text that lingered briefly in his vision. "Holy shit, you are Ruby-Tier?" he said, his voice laced with surprise.

"Did your HUD thing tell you this when we touched?" Alira asked as she released his hand, looking at his. "What other info does it give you?"

"Umm, yeah, it said your name: Alira Sylvanra, that you are a human, which, honestly, might freak me out more than anything that we have to have a species distinction...umm, your affinities, Elemental and Life.” Eli said this as he was trying to make it sound like he didn’t just witness her destroy 3 of the creatures that killed the students.

“Which is super rare according to my super wise teacher, and Ruby tier mana user or otherwise known as almost a god." Eli shrugged as Alira was staring at him.

"This HUD of yours is quite remarkable, Eli, again, don’t let anyone know you can do this." She said shaking her head in disbelief.

Eli, still shaken but trying to mask it with his usual bravado. "So, you're telling me you can reshape landscapes, summon storms, and all that crazy stuff you talked about earlier?"

Alira tilted her head thoughtfully. "I can, but I don't unless it's absolutely necessary. Power is a tool, Eli, not a spectacle. What matters is how you choose to use it."

Her gaze softened as she added, "And knowing when not to."

Eli scratched the back of his head, his grin faltering. "I don’t think I’ll ever be anywhere close to that level. Seeing what you just did, I am basically on beginner mode."

She smiled, warm and patient. "Even the greatest masters start as beginners. What matters is your willingness to learn, to adapt, and to grow.”

I believe the Heart Spring will give you a chance to take your first steps. After that, it's up to you." She said.

Eli nodded, the weight of her words settling on him. "No pressure, right?" he muttered, half-joking.

Alira chuckled again, turning back to the path. "None at all."

“You have potential,” Alira said, her tone gentle but firm as she began walking away from Eli. “But potential without discipline is dangerous. That’s why you must learn.”

Eli nodded, humbled as he began to catch back up to her. “Thanks. For, you know, saving my ass. Again.”

Her lips quirked into a faint smile. “I believe you will have a chance to repay the favor someday.”

As they resumed their journey, the map in Eli’s HUD pulsed, guiding them forward. This time, he followed with a deeper sense of purpose, the weight of what he’d seen and learned settling heavily in his mind.