NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28: No longer secret. No longer safe?
“Is it secret? Is it safe?”
Gandalf
Source of Mana! As if managing my hypersensitive state caused by Super Senses was not enough. Suddenly, my insides felt like they were glowing. Expel Mana started up all on its own, I couldn’t hold all the mana within me it was literally leaking out of me. Even though the Mana I was giving off was invisible to normal eyes, my mother and sister looked shocked.
The door had closed, the old crone had left. But rather than rush after her, mother ordered us into the back room, and quietly commanded father to quickly get Grandfather adding, "But don’t look like you are rushing!" as well as, "Get him to bring the family amulet."
Before having Aleera bolt the door as he left. Finally, once Father had left, the conversation between them started.
“He’s awakened.” She stammered.
“But how he isn’t 5 yet. Isn’t it far too early.” Aleera questioned.
“Doesn’t matter, this changes things.” She replied
“But he’s too young to hide it.” Aleera worried. “He can’t even stop himself from running out the door.”
“He is gifted, anyone can see that, he will hide it in time. But you might have to go and stay with Grandfather for a bit until he understands enough to show more restraint than he has shown yet.” She cautioned.
“But he’s not even 1 yet.” Aleera pointed out.
“Well then he will have to learn quickly or you will be staying with Grandfather for a good deal longer!” Mother pointed out exasperated.
I did not catch the whole conversation as I had to alternate between controlling and calming my body still inundated with far more information than I was normally aware of through my 5 senses. Then I had to deal with the infusion of energy that was Source of Mana.
Regardless of my family's presence, I had to expel mana simply to reduce the pressure, heat, and light I felt inside. But it wasn’t enough to alleviate the rapidly building pressure that accumulated every time I succumbed to the overwhelming nature of my overloaded senses.
“Water.” I croaked.
Aleera quickly fetched me a cup. Still pewter as I still hadn’t managed to get rid of all the plates and cups. But good enough for my purposes. I drank a little to get the horrible flavour of my own vomit down to acceptable levels, although I could still taste a lingering level of stomach acid. Then I poured my mana into it. I had never managed to add enough mana to make much of a difference temperature wise with the water, finding it far easier to take the energy out and freeze it.
Now however it was something safe I could pour the energy into the water eagerly absorbing all the energy I gave it. I reached the same border that I had arrived at before but then I went through it. Mana still filling up the cup and the water, the water began to boil.
Ding! Boil (Lv 1)
There wasn’t enough water and it soon began boiling away. Another cup or two of water and we were out of water in the house no one having gone to fetch any this morning and no one inclined to do so now. Mother and Aleera sat in shock as the water steamed away.
When it was gone I was left with my empty cup wishing I had the foresight to alternate between boil and freeze to maintain the water as now it had evaporated and I had nothing left to fill with Mana in the moments of clarity interspersed with the moments where my senses overwhelmed me.
I stopped worrying about the mana for a moment to control my breathing and heartbeat once again too stimulated by my senses. Yet for every moment I maintained my calm the pressure would continue to build until I had to ignore my body once more to do something, anything.
My nightly ninja routines had covered fire and water, but I wasn’t particularly keen to burn anything down especially with my current level of control and the large amount of mana I was putting into everything.
Left with nothing to fill, I experimented.
I started to fill the flagstone of the floor in front of me with Mana. Just like the water before my new trait, it soaked it up and I was able to dump half my Mana into it without it boiling away. I lifted my hands from the flagstone wondering whether the warmth I felt was my hands' own heat or the mana I had just sunk into it. My Mana was now only 500/1000. But then I started to watch it fill up again at a visible pace. It had never refilled at a pace I could watch before. Always taking the night to refill I would find it full again in the morning. Now though I could see it slowly going up.
Taking a moment to gain control of my senses now that I no longer felt like I was going to explode.
I calmed, looked around, and realised I was so busted.
Mother and Aleera were still staring at me as if in shock having watched me boil the water away there was absolutely no way that I could play this off as feeling a little poorly. If in doubt, ask.
“What’s happening?” I asked hoping that I was portraying the right level of confusion, innocence, and naivety. But also hoping that they would enlighten me a little as to their own reactions and my concerns.
“You seem to have awakened your Magic Stat, Kai.” Mother explained.
“But you seem to have a little more than most people and have awakened earlier than anyone I have ever heard of. In fact, many people never awaken their Magic Stat at all.” She added extra details that I had been unaware of but this is where the level of concern came from as she looked once more at Aleera.
“Because some people never awaken their Magic Stat those that do are sometimes treated differently. It is safer to keep it secret, so you are going to go with your sister to your Grandfather’s house because he lives out of town, at least until you have learned how to keep it hidden. If you can keep it secret it will help to keep you safe. Then when you are a little older we can think about things but you might not have the chance to rethink things if everyone knows now.”
It looked like Magic was not universally awesome or there were some added complications to having it.
“Kai, how did you do that to the water?” Aleera curiously questioned.
“Mana into the water,” I answered. Sometimes honesty is the best policy.
“Yes, but how? Is it a skill?” she asked trying to understand.
“Boil,” I responded keeping it simple.
“Boil?” she raised her eyebrows in disbelief.
“Yes,” I stated.
“But that’s impossible mother.” She shouted. “He’s not even one!”
The shout was enough to trigger another wave of nausea and I threw up once more. Barely able to handle my stomach before the inquisition had started and having to forgo conversation in an attempt to regain control of my body and feelings.
“Enough, Aleera!” Mother crossly whispered. “He’s clearly not coping well with the change and seems to have more mana than most. Let’s put him down and give him some time and space.”
They cleaned me once more, then thankfully, left me alone in my box, no longer questioning me or demanding answers whilst I tried to get a handle on my situation. The cat was out of the bag. They quietly discussed it next door and although I could listen in if I had wanted to. I tried to close down my senses and lock myself away within my mind fortress where I could rest for a moment or two before popping back to my body to expel any excess mana I seemed to be generating.
True Status
Level: 10 Name: Kai
Experience: 51,000/ 204,800
Age: 13 months, 1 weeks, 2 days, 8 hours
Health: 1100/1100 Stamina: 513/513 Mana: 1000/1000 Psi: 1070/1070
Trait: Long Lived, Fast Learner, Super Senses, Source of Mana,
Vitality: 110
Endurance: 22
Strength: 22
Dexterity: 22
Senses: 109
Clarity: 38
Magic: 100
Free Points: 20
Skills:
Tier 1: Time sense (LV 22) Listening (LV 26) Meditation (LV 31) Swimming (LV 23)
Humming (Lv 20) Sneak (Lv 21) Whistling (Lv 20) Singing (Lv 20) and Drumming (Lv 20)
Running (Lv 10), Acting (15), English (Lv 15), Spanish (Lv 15), Japanese (Lv 15),
German (Lv 10), French (Lv 7) Dodge (Lv 1) Breath Control (Lv 1) Sight (Lv 11)
Scent (Lv 11) Detect (Lv 11) Taste (Lv 11) Bulosa (Lv 1) Draw (Lv 1)
Tier 2: Sense Mana (LV 29) Eavesdrop (LV 22) Memorisation (LV 20) Composition (Lv 20)
Recall (Lv20) Pain tolerance (Lv 8) Piano (Lv 20) Violin (Lv 20), Trombone (Lv 20),
Saxophone (Lv 20) Linguistics (Lv 15) Translation (Lv 15) Stealth (Lv 10)
Tier 3: Echolocation (LV 22) Expel Mana (Lv 29) Absorb Mana (Lv 29)
Mana Manipulation (Lv 12) Ignite (Lv 11) Freeze (Lv 2) Boil (Lv 1)
Tier 4: Mana Drain (Lv 20) Multiple Minds (Lv 10)
Tier 5: Mind fortress (Lv 15)
Skill experience: 800
Origin experience: 0
Combat experience: 0
Crafting experience: 0
There are always consequences to the truth.
I just wonder, ‘What they are going to be?’
Note from author:
Thanks to everyone who is reading and commenting it picks me up to see all the positivity and engagement.
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Thanks again
Notlimah