Chapter 1.2: Roots of Mana

Elaine was deep in a book, humming to herself when suddenly, a loud squeal startled her. She dropped everything and rose to her feet, ready to run to her daughter's room, but something made her pause.

Footsteps came from the second floor as Ikora descended the stairs and burst into the living room. "MOM! MOM!!"

"What's with the yelling?"

"I'M IN!" Ikora waved the letter frantically in front of Elaine's face. "I'M IN!"

She gasped and covered her mouth after hearing her daughter's words. "OH MY GOSH!!"

"Let me see!" Elaine reached out to grab the paper, but Ikora moved it out of her way, holding the letter close to her.

"I've waited so long for this moment, Mom..."

"Ikora, may I see-?"

"The years of your studying and training helped so much..." Ikora choked out, her eyes tearing up.

"Please, may I-?"

"Mom, thank you so much for your help-"

"Ikora-"

"I don't know how I'm going to repay-"
Elaine snatched the letter from Ikora's hand and opened it. "Thank you very much."

She cleared her throat and began reading out loud.

"Dear Ikora Blackhart,

If you are reading this, we are excited to inform you that you have been selected as one of the promising new members in this round of enrollment. Your enthusiasm, skill, and potential have stood out to us, and we are thrilled to welcome you to the WAMA family. Your unique skills and talents will contribute significantly to our community and the world of magic. Today, we welcome you aboard and look forward to supporting you on your journey with us.

-Sincerely, The Headmaster."

Elaine beamed proudly. "That's amazing, Ikora!"

"I know, right!?"

"Since they'll be coming to get you today, you might want to pack up your stuff."

After folding the paper and putting it back into the envelope, she returned it to Ikora, who took it.

"Thanks, mom! I won't be long!" She skipped away, her heart and mind racing as she ran upstairs.

"All those years of training..." Ikora whispered, her mind drifting back to the day it all began.

The morning after Esmeralda's performance in 1848, Ikora was five years old. Her mother, Elaine, had woken her early. That day marked the start of her magical training, and Elaine was there to help her prepare.

The snow outside piled high against the stone walls of their home, the sky gray. Elaine sat with young Ikora, a book in hand. The cover was simple, its pages old but well-kept—Elaine's first book on magic. "You're ready, Ikora?" Elaine whispered. "I'll guide you and help you understand how the magic of this world works."

Elaine opened the book. "I understand this may seem intimidating, but don't let that stop you. I'll be by your side the whole time." Hovering her hand over the pages, she began to read aloud, her voice gentle.

Ikora said nothing and listened intently, watching as her mother read aloud. The words, or the book itself, felt as if they were speaking to her very being.

One day, when Ikora was nine years old, the two were walking together. The tundra stretched out endlessly, a field of white broken only by the occasional flower peeking through the snow. Ikora's boots crunched in the snow as she followed Elaine.

Elaine stopped and crouched in the snow, gently cupping one of these flowers. Its petals faintly glowed as they touched her.

"Let's take this Frostfire as an example." The flower was shaped like a rose. One end was smooth and blue, cold to the touch. The other end was spiked, red, and hot to the touch. It was burning, forever burning.

"Mana is like a spiritual seed inside all of us," she stated, patches of white gathering on her blue hair as she continued. "It is planted inside of you when you first come to exist. Its soil is your mind, body, and soul. It takes time to grow."

Ikora mimicked her mother, kneeling beside her and placing her hands around a flower.

Elaine glanced over to Ikora. "It's inside most things you see around us-moving, growing, flowing. Like this flower, your Mana will bloom when you nourish it.

Understand yourself and who you are, and you will find yourself reaching far beyond even what you thought possible.

"When you're sad, your Mana will be the voice to comfort you; when you are mad, your Mana shall become the voice of reason. It becomes your greatest friend," she said as she let Ikora hold the flower.

"And soon enough, yours will be as beautiful as this flower here."

The tundra wind howled softly in the distance, and Ikora found warmth in her mother's words.

"What about magic?"

"Magic..." Elaine looked down at the flower. "Magic is like this flower here, with Mana acting as the fuel for us beings, living or dead. This flower uses magic to make itself beautiful, attracting animals to it and helping it survive and spread itself.

"But just as it is beautiful..." She looked over at a small animal approaching one of the other flowers in her garden. It sniffed the flower before taking a bite, then jumped back as it yelped before scurrying away.

Elaine rested her hands in her coat pockets before standing up and walking away. "You'll figure out the rest."

Ikora looked at the flower and then back to her mother, quickly getting up to chase after her.

When Ikora was thirteen, she was taller and more sure of herself. The recent snowstorm had passed, leaving the landscape a quiet, untouched white blanket. The sun shining gave the snow a slight glow. She stood before her mother, heart racing, the garden of Frostfire blossoms surrounding them in small patches of red and blue. After constantly repeating previous lessons, she was ready to perform her first magic.

"Focus on your breathing, Ikora," Elaine instructed, her voice steady and eyes focused. "Let it flow through you."

Ikora watched as her mother moved her hands elegantly, each movement flowing perfectly into the next as wisps of light flowed around her.

"You may direct it-guide it-refine it. But do not try to force it under your control. Let it become one with you."

Ikora closed her eyes, breathing steadily as she remembered her lessons. She had failed this lesson several times before, but this time would be different; she was determined; she could feel it.

She felt a warm sensation in her chest, energy flowing throughout her whole body, and a strange feeling rose inside her. It was as if something new was being added to her very being. There was no physical change, but there was something... different.

Soon, the feeling rose to her fingertips. Slowly, she raised her hand. Ikora felt like something was guiding her movements like another person was there. For a moment, there was nothing-just the biting cold and the gentle wind blowing.

Elaine watched her daughter closely.

Then suddenly, a soft, faint glow appeared at the tip of her fingers as the Mana finally took form. It started white, its form twisted and taking shape as a long glowing stick appeared in her hand. It then grew wrapping-like spots that hung off of the staff's body. As it continued to take form, the staff began to curve into a crescent shape as a blue orb manifested itself between the crescent.

"Woah..." Ikora brought the staff to her face, gazing into the orb as something caught her eye. It appeared as if there was a raging snowstorm inside of the orb.

"Good!" Elaine shouted, grabbing Ikora's attention. "That staff symbolizes your connection with your Mana, an extension of your very self. It is yours to command; the better you understand and refine it, the better of a mage you will become as a mage."

"What you see in that orb is a showing of your internal thoughts, only you can see the inside of it."

"Woah..."

Elaine nodded, "Remember it like a flower growing its roots deeper into the soil, strengthening the bond between you and your Mana."

Ikora smiled, her body still trembling from the cold and the effort. "T-That's great! But when can I start learning s-s-spells?"

"Maybe after we warm you up and get you some rest, I have this really useful spell called, Torriven."

And now, Ikora is seventeen. Elaine had been teaching Ikora certain spells she knew for a few months.

The landscape was green, dotted with patches of white, and many different flowers were visible. The snow crunched beneath their boots as the two moved through the field of Frostfire.

Ikora could feel the Mana within her body—an energy that connected her to everything around her.

The discovery of Mana had changed Ikora's view of the world; she could feel it in everything. She could sense whether a being was living or dead, friend or foe.

Elaine stood beside her, silently watching as Ikora knelt to touch one of the flowers, its red and blue petals now glowing softly in her hold.

"It's amazing," Ikora's voice was quiet.

"So Mana is like our lifeforce. It flows through everyone and everything—like this flower."

Ikora looked over to her mother. "Right?"

Elaine nodded, "Yes. As I said, Mana is the mind, body, and soul-the connection between all things."

"You've caught on pretty well, love."

The sun began to set, casting a golden glow across the snow. The Frostfires grew brighter in the fading light.

"It's strange; everything has felt... different? I can sense the life of the things around me like these flowers; they have a soul. I can sense it now.."

"Indeed, once your Mana becomes one with you, you gain the ability to sense living things and such."

"While Mana is something used in everyday life, most people do not refine their own up to the point of everyday life. This is your first step to becoming a mage."

Elaine walked ahead of Ikora before turning towards her. "Ikora, do you remember the healing spell I taught you?"

Nodding, Ikora responded. "Yes, ma'am, I do."

"Perfect, love. No reason to stop now, you're just scratching the surface." Elaine said as she watched Ikora.

"You've been doing great, keep it up..."

The memories faded as Ikora finished backing her belongings into her bag. She looked at the staff beside her bed before approaching it and strapping it to the side of the bag.