Sitting on the dirt floor within the small, probably unsafe hut. Archie concentrated as Kairo spoke.
"So, first we want to start with the most basic component of mana."
Archie eagerly asked.
"Which is?"
"Being able to sense your own of course. I was taught this when I was six. What type of training does the Velvet clan put you through?"
Archie thought for a minute, it seemed that last names were meant to represent what clan one was a part of. Rather than a family name.
Archie stared forward with a complicated expression. Trying to come up with a brainy response.
"Manuel labor."
"That seems rather strange, I guess there are clans who oversee trade. But, for a family such as that to not teach basic magic… I apologise, I have gotten off topic. You want to start out with sensing the flow of energy throughout your own body, some refer to it as an aura… If that helps."
"Right… how exactly do I sense it?"
"I had to be stripped of my senses, temporarily. It's not exactly something that people are supposed to see, however once you see it once then it becomes visible. After not being able to see, feel, hear, taste, or smell. You begin to see the world in its purest form. Though, I doubt that you could undertake the same training I did... I've heard that there are many other ways to sense mana. Such as killing other creatures, something to do with the release of mana on death, or meditating for years while imagining essence moving throughout your body."
Archie looked dejected.
"None of those options seem fun."
Kairo nodded in agreement.
"True, though there are some people born with the ability to use their mana, they are often referred to as witches, or wizards. Though they are few and far between. They are immensely powerful, seemingly chosen by the world in order to inherit its power… wait why am I explaining this to a clan member? You must already know about the witches."
Archie nodded in embarrassment.
"Absoulty, I know all about them."
'The lies are piling up.'
Kairo continued.
"Well mana naturally generates within living creatures, people have different limits to how much mana they can store at a given point in time. Mana can also be enhanced or regained with the use of magic stones, which are quite rare and can only be found within dungeons… which brings me to my point, I think it may be possible for me to enhance your mana with one of these stones, possibly allowing you to sense it. It is unlikely, but with people with natural high levels of mana it has worked."
Archie hesitantly responded.
"I see.."
'Possibly? Is this guy trying to experiment on me?'
"The area around the mine is quite dangerous, so I will wait for my mana to recharge before I head out."
"You?"
"Well yes, you don't have a weapon and that old grimware will only be useful with mana… plus, you should be safe here, none of the C class wander too far from the mines."
'C class? Is that how they rank monsters?'
"I got it, I'll just stay here then."
The sun began to set, on the horizon straight in front of the beach, they ate what seemed to be boar meat, harvested prior to their meeting. As the last colors faded over the west, something strange happened, the vines covering the sky seemed to secrete some kind of light.
It seemed similar to fireflies, falling from the sky and touching the ground. Only they were not living creatures, maybe they were seeds of some kind. Meant to spread the vines throughout the world.
All of the slowly falling seeds shone similar to stars, using piled up leaves, both Archie and Kairo slept until dawn.
—
In the morning Kairo immediately left, headed for the supposed mine, tucked somewhere away on this island.
Archie walked outside, came back inside, sat down, lied down, got up, paced around the finished shelter, scaled a tree, tried to summon fire again…
It was so boring… there was nothing to do, until Kairo returned back with that magic crystal there was nothing to do. The thought of magic captivated Archie to a great extent.
It was similar to staying up on christmas eve. There was so much anticipation and excitement for the coming day, that one could hardly remain still.
The day seemed still, yet the world was restless.
Archie overlooked the ocean, resting alongside the sand. The waves were gentle, yet fierce. They would crash into the ground then slowly climb the slope, coming to a brief halt and retreating back to their safe place.
The crashing of the waves continued its endless cycle, Archie began to wonder if there were tides here. It was rather strange.
Tides are the cause of waves, the force created by tidal forces gets transferred into kinetic energy which in turn creates waves.
There was a sun, so there should have been tidal forces, but the ocean level never rose or seeped. Instead, it seemed to stick to a single spot. It almost seemed more like an illusion than that of the real thing. Meant to imitate and look identical to what an ocean should be.
Apparently this was all a dungeon. Which made the sun seem strange, how could there be a rotating sun within a dungeon?
How could there be waves, plants, and living creatures? There were food cycles in the real world, animals fed off of lesser animals, lesser animals fed off of plants, and plants fed off of water and food.
So does the sun truly act like a sun? How is that possible? Do the plants even need the sun in order to gain energy? If not then what is the source?
Archie's thoughts were interrupted by a reflection of light, shining directly in his eyes.
"Ow, what the hell."
Archie stared into the ocean, the light came from somewhere in that direction. Looking intently behind the high waves.
For some reason, Archie felt a deep sense of fear, something that came from deep inside of him. One that seemed almost primal. It felt strangely familiar, and yet he had never felt that way within his life.
Archie quickly turned around and hurriedly walked towards his shelter, while looking back, making sure nothing was following him.
The fear seemed to grow, it was strange, it was almost as if it wasn't fear itself, rather a presence radiating from something else.
The water began to retreat back into the ocean, further than it ever has before. Then something emerged from the waves, causing a grand splash.
The water seemed to bend around the creature, it was big, around three meters tall. It looked terrifying and unnatural, it was dressed in rags that seemed to have been ruined by water. Its body proportions almost seemed humanlike, yet there were many things about it that didn't seem human-like at all. The exposed flesh was ripping off the bone.
The creature was wearing a yellow deep sea divers mask, aiming its eyes directly at Archie.