Chapter 4 - A lesson

The building turned out to be bigger than Mila had thought. There were several rooms scattered through the empty hallway. Hers one among many. A window on both sides was the only light source. She listened for any noise and when she caught voices arguing she started to walk towards them.

Steadily, while supporting herself against the wall, Mila struggled forward. Her mind was preoccupied with the last dream. It had been far too strange and left many questions in her mind.

In the end, she did not have enough information on her hands and could not come to any conclusion.

Instead, Mila decided to be glad she had not died the first time she fell unconscious and dreamt. Even more so, this change in the usual sleeping routine was welcome. Dying at the end of each dream was traumatising, and she did not want to experience it again.

While contemplating her fate, Mila soon reached the corner that led towards an exit. The doors were open, and the voices grew louder. Finishing the last stretch, she exited the building and momentarily got blinded by the sun.

After her eyes cleared, Mila looked around. She was standing in a courtyard surrounded by a few simple wooden buildings. Only one had a second floor, and they reminded her of dormitories.

Behind the buildings, Mila could see tree-covered hills guarding the place. She could hear birds singing their songs in the distance while her new associates tried to drown them out with their heated words.

This place was remote. There were only trees, rocks and cliffs around them. Despite everything being clean, it was also old and somewhat run down. Mila could spot places where buildings had gone through impromptu repairs.

Bringing her attention back to the people further ahead, Mila tried to figure out what they were doing.

Andrew and Isabel held wooden sticks facing each other while Silinth egged them on. On the side, she spotted Tiff and an unknown boy watching the spectacle with interest.

All of them were wearing similar loose grey linen outfits. Mila supposed she would be receiving something similar as well. It was not like they could keep wearing the clothes they were summoned with.

After another exchange of words, Isabel finally snapped and swung wildly at Andrew, who, instead of blocking or sidestepping the telegraphed swing, fell on his ass while attempting a doge.

Silinth’s loud laughter followed the pathetic display. Mila struggled to understand the man. He seemed to switch personalities freely to what suited the moment. It was hard to tell what he really thought or felt.

While Mila contemplated how to join the fun, Andrew rose from the ground. He returned to his previous position before the smugly smiling Isabel. He swung the stick, but his opponent reacted better than he had and managed to block, if barely.

It was the perfect chance to counterattack, but instead, Isabel was surprised by her success, and Andrew simply pushed her, making it her turn to fall on her butt.

Mila shook her head. They will need to learn. At least their mana seemed to be back at full force. No, they had more than back on earth and by a large margin. She supposed it was only natural. There was a lot more ambient mana in this world, so it was not unusual they absorbed it faster here. It still felt like cheating to her.

Especially when Mila compared them with the children sitting on the side. Silinth had already said Tiff had no talent, but the boy did not seem much better. She did not know how long they had been trained, but common sense told her it should have been a few years already.

In the past, children started to learn to control their inner energy around the age of ten. It should be the same even now. Mila walked closer to the kids, who had their attention on the two beginners trying their best to humiliate each other.

It was painful to watch. Mila winced each time Andrew took a wide swing and cringed when Isabel refused to move her feet and tried to block each blow. Silinth did not help either. He simply cheered and encouraged each time they made a move.

At least they were moving slowly and were not risking any injuries. While Mila did not doubt Silinth’s skill as a mage, she did wonder how much medical knowledge he had, as it was required to use healing spells.

Mila stood behind the kids and listened to them talk. Silinth had extended the courtesy of the translation spell to them, so she had no trouble understanding what they said. As it turned out, they were making fun of the teens.

The spectacle continued for the next five minutes. Mila grew increasingly annoyed by Silinth, who was not giving any instructions. She glared at the man, who pointedly ignored her.

After an especially egregious wild swing sent Andrew stumbling forward, knocking Isabel to the ground, she had enough. “Will at least try to stab her?” She exclaimed. “Aim for the torso and be done with it. And you-” She pointed her finger at Isabel, who was getting up and looked at her in surprise. “Are your legs nailed to the ground? Don’t just take his hits! The fool is open to every counterattack imaginable!”

Both kids in front of her jumped away in fright when she spoke while Silinth raised his hands in a pacifying gesture. “Now, now, there is no need to be mean.”

“And you!” Mila jabbed a finger at him. “Do your job properly.”

“We are just having fun,” Silinth explained. “Not much else to do out here.”

Mila narrowed her eyes, and both kids moved further from her while whispering to each other. Silinth sheepishly returned her gaze.

“Is that so?” Mila addressed Andrew and Isabel.

“Uh,” Andrew stood and scratched the back of his head. “I guess?”

“Speak for yourself. I wanted to whack you.” Isabel grumbled.

Silinth clicked his tongue. “Well, now that the killjoy is here, let's sit and have a talk.” He started to walk towards one of the buildings and invited them to follow.

Mila’s aching body protested, but she managed to keep her step steady. “Where are the rest of the people?” She asked while eyeing the complex.

“There is no one else here,” Silinth responded. “Just us and the kids.” He did not elaborate any further, his tone sombre.

It could mean many things, but Mila could make a guess. Silinth had told her himself that his people were dwindling in numbers. The complex did not feel that old and had to be made for a sizable number of inhabitants.

However, Silinth had also mentioned the rulers hunting them. Speaking of which. “Where exactly are we? Do you have a map?” She hoped to find a familiar landmark on the map to see how much her memories of the past matched the present.

“Yes, in my workroom.” Silinth led them inside the building and toward the room at the end of the hallway. When they reached it, he simply shooed them inside.

The room smelled of dust. The walls were covered in shelves and cabinets. A single window behind the desk illuminated it. The desk itself was covered in writing utensils and paper sheets. Mila found a simple chair and sat, with Andrew and Isabel following suit.

Silinth walked to one of the shelves, and after a bit of rummaging, he found a scroll, which he tossed to Mila and then sat behind the table.

Mila unfurled the scroll, revealing a simple map of an unfamiliar nation. Most of it was surrounded by sea, while the east border was landlocked with another territory. A mountain range ran through the land, dividing the country in two. A small landbridge on the west connected the nation to another large landmass, though it was unmarked.

To Mila’s frustration, she could not recognise any landmarks or towns. The writing on the map was unreadable, meaning she would have to learn that as well. “I can’t read it.” She finally admitted.

Andrew looked at her oddly. “Of course, you can’t. It’s written in,” He scratched his head and looked at Silinth. “What did you call it?”

“Karna.” Silinth helped.

“Yeah, Karna.” Andrew happily nodded.

“Is that the name of this script?” Mila kept studying the paper. It was prudent to at least learn the rough outlines of the world around her.

Silinth shook his head. “Yes. The map is of the Kingdom of Tordgo. Karna has been in use for ages now as the standard for writing. Contrary to what the current ruling family claims. They have been in charge of Tordgo only for a couple generations. They are not the worst, but-” He shook his head. “That’s not important for now. I want to ask the three of you - what are your goals?”

For a moment, there was silence. Mila glanced at the duo, who looked at Silinth.

Finally, Andrew spoke. “We-” He gulped. “We are not sure. We don’t know what our options are. You said we can’t get back and-” His body shook, and he rubbed his eyes. “For now, I want to learn what I can.”

“It’s the same for me.” It was Isabel’s turn to speak. “I don’t know anything and-” She glanced at Mila. “We don’t know anyone here. Even if you ask us, what else can we do but learn from you?”

“Leaving is always an option.” Silinth quietly added. “I would not recommend it but don’t feel like you are tied down to this place. And you?” He addressed Mila with some hesitancy.

Mila pondered the question. What did she want? There wasn't much. Having a place to sleep and food to eat was already a luxury. She reached out towards the mana and felt it sluggishly move towards her. At this rate, it would take years before she gained enough to cast anything. Still, she could use the mana to aid her body's recovery. “Nothing for now.” She finally concluded.

“Well, it is too soon for you three. I asked to make you think. I’ll ask again in future.” Silinth clasped his hands. “I’ll put together a training plan for you two.” He looked at Andrew and Isabel. “A general one, to see where your talents lie. I’ll also ask all of you to join Tiff and Kefo in their lessons. We will cover history, geography, writing and anything else that could be useful.”

Andrew released a theatrical sigh. “So back to school for us.” He lamented. “Can’t say I expected that to be one of the first things I would do in a new world.”

“Knowledge is important for future success, Andrew.” Silinth reasoned with seriousness in his voice.

“Will you teach us magic?” Isabel asked.

“With time, perhaps. If you have talent for it.” Silinth nodded. “Not now. You have to learn more about the world before you start learning spells. Your bodies should be accumulating mana, and it will take time before you have enough to start practising.”

This was an interesting tidbit. From what Mila could tell, Andrew and Isabel had enough mana to start learning. Frankly, they were gaining it- She began to examine them with renewed interest. There was something more she was missing.

Whatever it was, Mila could not guess. What was more notable was that Silinth had not noticed what she had. She started to think. Was the ability to read someone's mana levels a common enough skill?

From her memory, Mila could conclude it wasn’t. There had been only a couple dream lives where the person had wielded such ability. A scout and an assassin. Unfortunately, while they had practised the skill when Mila had been stuffed in their skin, they had already used it for a long time. She had no idea how they got it, nor did they speak about it.

Luckily, Isabel helped her with a question. “How will we know when we are ready?”

Silinth rapped his fingers on the table while thinking. “Well, I’ll have to check our storage to see if we still have tests we use on children. If not, I’ll have to get them from the closest town.”

There was Mila’s answer. It appeared that Silinth could not feel mana the way she did. It was an advantage she could use over others. “What kind of test is it?” She wanted to know.

“A stone that draws mana. It changes colour as it grows more saturated with it. It was a side product of someone trying to make a battery. It’s useful for telling how much mana is in the area but not much else.”

This was a different approach to what she knew. In the past, it had been one of the purposes of temples - to learn if the person had any hopes of learning magic.

“Did they succeed in making the battery?” Mila found the prospect of such an item dangerous.

Steven shuffled in his seat, clearly uncomfortable. “No. And let this be a lesson - don’t try to invent anything world-changing. Ever.”

“Huh, why?” Andrew leaned in with interest.

“It is-” Silinth glanced around, then cast the same unrecognisable spell Mila had seen at the summoning circle. “Complicated. Do not speak of this outside of this room. It has something to do with the gods. Specifically with the one who is responsible for Knowledge.”

“Gods are real?” Andrew exclaimed, and Isabel seemed to be just as surprised.

Mila said nothing. She knew of the gods, but they cared not for what people did. Or they didn’t in the past. That had apparently changed.

“They are. Is it different in your world?” Silinth wondered. “No matter. Don’t try to bring your world's inventions to this one or innovate too drastically. It is not guaranteed you’ll face their zealots, but there is no need to risk it.”

“Then why the secrecy?” Mila found it puzzling. “Telling people about it should not warrant the confidentiality you ask of us.”

“It doesn’t. Most people know about it, but not why.”

“And you want to tell us?” Isabel did not understand.

“So you understand. There are things you cannot speak of.” Silinth continued. “Let this be a lesson.” He took a deep breath. The air stilled, and the feeling of them being watched appeared. He took another breath. “Do you feel it? This sensation. If you feel it, stop what you are doing.” A small bead of sweat ran down his temple. “I’ll give a small taste of what can happen.” Another deep later, he resumed. “The god of Knowledge is dead.”

The air around them suddenly grew hostile. A pressure weighted down, making Andrew and Isabel stumble under it and fall to the ground. Mila looked at their reaction in surprise. Silinth feared much better but still had a constipated expression on his face.

Mila felt Silinth’s eyes on her, but she was too late to fake anything. She returned the gaze, wondering what this was about.

“There you have it.” Silinth suddenly said. The feeling of dread retreated, leaving the duo on the ground, exhausted. “That’s enough for now. You need some rest.”

Mila hesitated but decided to not fake her reaction. She rose from her seat, and despite her well-meaning intentions of helping Isabel and Andrew to get back on their feet, she stumbled and had to hold herself steady by holding on to the chair.

When Mila stabilised herself, Isabel was already next to her to see if she could help. “I am fine.” She declined.

“If you say so.” Isabel eyed her with worry despite being unsteady herself.

“Let’s go.” Andrew was already at the doors. “I need a break.” He rubbed his eyes.

After sending Mila another glance, Isabel followed.

Mila looked back at Silinth, who stared at the ceiling with hollow eyes. He looked spent and withered.

Not wanting to stay any longer, Mila left the room. There was much to consider.