The next few days were like the last. Breakfast in the morning while Icarus ignored Vel. Morning cardio, which Reep excelled at. She would often leave Clammy and Max in the dust.

On the first day, Clammy went to the Class stones. She chose [Gravity Mage] as her first class. After that was the mage guild. She became a wood plated mage! Vel had discussed at length with her about possible builds.

Clammy mentioned something she wanted to try, and they went back to the rundown mage shop from the day before. Clammy returned, welding a massive war hammer. She was able to spin it around like it was nothing. She was able to maintain a gravity spell on it, lowering it's weight at all times.

She started working on rapidly raising the gravity on the hammer mid swing making the resulting hit detrimental. Vel and Clammy decided that a wisdom and stamina stat build would be the best for her. Wisdom to keep up her gravity buffs, stamina to take a hit. She already was planning to get some heavy armor, lowering the gravity on it also. She was going to be the front-line heavy hitter. Their party was starting to come along. Max as healer and mage. Reep as back line archer. Clammy as a warrior tank.

Clammy talked it over with Max. She still wanted to learn some sound magic, if it was possible, but now she knew what she wanted to be. She was going to go all in with her hammer build. She was thinking of a basic warrior class for her second. The bonus she could get from that would aid her well in her build.

Reep was becoming more proficient at using her enchanted gear. Quick draw on the bracers and quick reload on the quiver. She could fire arrows in rapid succession, taking less than a second for each. Three was her current limit for electrifying the arrows. Her mana pool was just too low. Her bow enchant would duplicate her arrow, firing 2 instead of one, it had a rather large mana cost, however.

Her and Vel talked it over. Wisdom and dexterity, after a few points in strength. Apparently after you gained your first class, you gain health per level regardless of where you use your stat points. This is what caused higher level people to live longer.

After lunch, they trained with weapons. Clammy used her hammer, Max and Reep used swords. This was non magical training, although Clammy was allowed to lower the weight of her hammer.

Vel showed them many techniques and ways to outmaneuver and best each other. A rivalry was starting to form between the three of them. Well between Clammy and Max. Reep was still timid, but Clammy thought that she was beginning to act more…person-like.

After that, they did individual training. Clammy worked on throwing projectiles without using her hands. It reminded Max of telekinesis. Reep also started to try and electrify her muscles... It was not going well.

Vel had shown him what she called "mage essentials”, he had already learned bolt, next came sword and shield. Shield was the first he attempted. He started by collecting water from the air and forming it into a ball. He had tried to brute force manipulate it, but the water resisted. Whatever he tried he couldn't make any other form, than a blob of water. Max sat stumped for a while before Vel gave him a hint.

“Water flows to its destination, just move the destination of the flow.” She said, making it sound easier than it was.

After the second day of practice, he did it. The water was floating above his palm, rather than an orb, it was more of a flat disc. Vel instructed him from there to flatten the water further, but manipulate it to constantly flow in a circle, like a treadmill. He started to thin out the water, but POP! The water fell to the floor.

Max did not understand how controlling mist was easier than a thin disc of water. He tried for many more hours, never quite getting it. The disc would be thinner, but not moving. Or it would be to think but moving. Max was getting irritated, Vel’s constant “teaching” didn’t help.

“I saw you healing that girl. Was that not your first time? What happened to the genius I thought was going to revolutionize the [Water Mage] world?” Vel asked, making sure to layer on the sarcasm.

“It was the second... “Max grumbled.

He took a break and watched the others. Reep was doing... Something... Her arm kept twitching. Max hoped that she wouldn't get a Stockholm syndrome type situation with lightning. He looked at Clammy. Her progress was much more obvious. Currently she is using her magic to make a large rock hover. The rock was perfectly still. Slowly it started to rotate, a few seconds went by before it started to bob up and down, then dropping completely. Clammy made a “humph” sound.

What Vel had said stuck with him. Why was he able to manipulate the water so much better when healing Clammy? That water flowed right where he wanted it to, no resistance. He sat there trying to remember the feeling.

He was pissed, he remembered. Pissed at those sadistic brothers. Pissed but also scared. He didn't want to let the first person he met in this world die. The more Max thought about it, he was confused how he didn’t freeze up. There was so much blood, and Clammy was dying. Max remembered pleading with the water, it flowed right where he wanted it. First to her neck, then thighs, then the rest of her body. Max didn’t know how he did it, but he knew the feeling. He just had to replicate it.

He had a goal. Flatten and spin. Flatten and spin. Water was drawn into a ball, just above his palm. Max went through the emotions. Anger, fear, pleading. PLEADING! That was it, he thought. The whispers, the water tried to talk with me. Just like the tree. The only difference was that the tree has more life force. The tree is alive while water is not.

Max asked for a mental connection with the water. There was a slight hesitation he felt, but it allowed him. He visualized a shield. A shield appeared. The waster was spinning and flowing downwards just like he wanted. Why stop there. Max felt. He extended his right hand, and more water formed. He slid his shield over his left, similar to a kite shield. The water in his right hand flowed long and thin, a little thicker and rounder at the bottom. He inspected his new “blade”.

He had formed it so that the water in the center of the blade flowed outward, when it got to the end, it flared out and came back. The small flare gave it a tip that streamed into an edge.

This is pretty rad He thought. Still focusing on the two constructs, he walked over to a dummy. Slicing downwards the blade hit and broke. All the water falling to the ground. He dropped his shield also, no reason to hold it.

He was a little downcast, or at least until he saw the damage on the dummy. There was a gash. Not large, maybe 3 inches deep, but it just served as a goal. Next time would be deeper. The time After? The sword wouldn’t break. He smiled.

Vel started clapping. “Finally, boy. Realized that brute force wasn't going to work? Don’t worry, for some it takes months.”

“Why not just tell me?” Max said, somewhat stunned she let him fail for so long.

“The only way to progress is to fail. Without experimentation and failure, the world would stagnate, there would be no innovation. Max you will do to remember this.” She stopped to clear her throat.

“The difference between a good mage and a great one? Innovation. Are you going to keep forming that shit version of a sword? One that breaks on the first swing? Or are you going to make it stronger? Lighter? Make it have a sharper edge? That's right Max, you are going to innovate. I can feel it Max. You are going to become a great mage one day. Maybe even bypass Lester.”

Max was stunned. Was that a complement? From Vel? Did he enter the Twilight Zone? Was he Lost again? Max smiled to himself. He nodded in thanks. Max decided to ask about talking to the water and trees.

“Vel, I have a question, it will sound dumb, but I mentioned it to Iris, when I was still in the forest, and she gave me an answer to part of it.” Max tried to think and speak, muttering a few of the words.

“Say it clearly, boy.”

“In the forest I talked to a tree. I helped it fend off some wolves with Grasping Roots, and when I was leaving, a thread of mana connected us. The tree sent the link, and I could hear it say Thank You. Iris said something about [Druids] being able to talk to nature. I took that as an acceptable answer at the time. I didn’t want to follow that path, so I quickly put it out of my mind… But I’ve had dreams... Of whispering waters. That box? From Sythia’s? I could hear the same whispering. Just now with the water. I felt a similar connection as to the one I had with the tree....” Max didn’t know what his actual question was, so he just ended it with “... Any ideas?”

Over the course of Max talking, Vel’s eyebrows had risen, they remained there for a moment before she said.

“Well then. You really know how to ask a loaded question boy.” She went silent for a moment more before saying, “Look, here's the deal. You would find this on your own, but now is as good a time as any. Magic is weird. Some things can’t be explained. Some people have gifts. Not racials, not Devine buffs. Gifts. For example, our gift with healing water. Maybe what you are describing is an advanced version of that. I don’t know. What I do know is this. You will keep looking for an answer. This goes back to a few minutes ago. You are an innovator. Experiment, find the secrets of magic. Water magic is just one small slice of the greater picture of magic. Keep looking, the answers may just find you.”

With that she walked away, humming that tune she likes. Max shrugged and turned back to the dummy. The water on the floor rushed to his hand. Max could feel the same connection, it was still there even though he thought he dropped it.

Confused, he let the waterfall, and walked over to an area without water. He drew upon the air. Again, his connection was there. He left the underground room and moved outside. He walked to the water line; Max would have tripped if it weren't for his Space Affinity showing him where the hazards were in the dark... A small light owl formed next to him, observing. Max gathered some water. Again, the connection was there. Stronger this time.

“What is going on?” Max pleated aloud for Icarus’s sake.

“I’m sorry, I could hear your conversation with Vel. You said a connection to nature and water? While that's interesting, what's more interesting is what you are doing now. Can you explain?”

He called her Vel. Max subtly eyed the bird. Not noticing anything wrong. “Ah. I thought my connection with the water would drop once my mana left it. But it didn’t, and out here it's even stronger.”

Icarus thought for a moment. “Let's think about this for a moment. I always do my best thinking with others around me. You say you feel a connection between nature and water? Am I correct?” Max nodded. “Well, if you consider one tree nature, then yes.” Max didn't understand where he was going with this.

“I do. So, you made a connection with water, and it is remaining. Hmm. Let's try thinking of this slightly differently.” He paused, waiting for a nod. “Let’s not think of it as connection to water or nature, but connection to life. Vel has mentioned you have the same gift for water as her. I had always wondered if the Deep Strider Clan’s gift was understanding life, and you just confirmed it.” Icarus took a deep breath, a large bonsai tree forming under his feet, raising him to Max’s eye level.

When he got up there, he saw Max’s confusion.

“Look, I have been around Vel for a long time, after all she is m- Lester's wife.” Max noticed his slip up. He let him continue anyways. “Water has life within it. Healing with it proves that. Now for the gift. There are similar gifts to “hear” life. The most common is [Priests]. They gain it with the class, allowing them to use spells that heal. Similar to [Light Mages] ... Lester knew a few healing spells, even though he didn’t specialize in it. [Druids] don’t get a gift from the class, however. They must be born with a particularly strong one. Lesser gifts can still use nature to heal, but they can’t become [Druids].” Icarus took a breath, collecting his thoughts.

“[Water Mage] is similar to nature. You have to be born with the gift. Has Vel told you about the history behind the Deep Strider Clan? No? Ask her about it sometime, it's interesting. Long story short, there was a woman. She was the first known to be able to heal using water. Her descendants are who make up the clan today. Therefore, water’s gift of life is a bloodline trait. Until you came along, that is. That's another reason you having the gift is dangerous. There might be someone that wants to preserve the clan’s monopoly over it.”

“You having both, nature and water life understanding proves that the clan's secret is the gift of life. I suggest you start your research with that. ‘The gift of life’, your black plate will get you into the higher levels of the library where the good information is kept.”

Max felt the conversation ended, after all it was about time for bed. Max wanted to know if his suspicions were correct. He spoke.

“Thanks for the advice. Lester.”

“No prob-” He cut off, realizing his mistake.

“So... How long have you been here and not Icarus? Was it him the first time we met?” Max asked simply.

“It was his first time; I don’t like tours. I check in every now and then to make sure Vel doesn't destroy the place. Just FYI, if you ever get a familiar, which I recommend, this spell I’m using is called Companion’s Trust. A rare book shop should sell it.”

“Hmm, I see. Do you want me to tell Vel?”

“NO! DON’T DO… that. I am not ready.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to get into the middle of that.”

Both men looked out across the water. One a human, the other a human currently in a light owl’s mind. Both from the same world, both Lost.

“Why [Light Mage]?”

“Ah... When I first arrived, I thought it was a game. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, had just come out… and I wanted to make a lightsaber. It worked, it actually gave me my nickname, ‘Bright saber’... Don’t ask."

“Star Wars had just come out? What? That was nineteen eighty, it was two thousand twenty one, when I was taken.”

“Really? Now THAT is interesting. Some kind of magic? Or does teleport take a really long time... No, that doesn't make sense.” He went quiet for a minute. “Did... they... Make more? Movies I mean?”

“Oh yeah. Two more in the first trilogy, then a prequel trilogy. Then a sequel trilogy. Then a couple spin offs and some tv shows.”

“WHAT! Tell me all you remember. Wait.” He looked down, eyes defocusing, “Hmm. Actually, I don’t have much time. I can’t say much about my situation, but I’ll say this. My mana takes a long time to recover. I normally only hop in Icarus, for a few minutes. It barely takes any mana comparably. This time I stayed longer. So, it might be a while before we can talk again. With that I must say goodbye. Take care of Vel for me? She’s such a gentle soul...” Lester said, his voice cracking.

“Sorry for taking up your mana. See you later Lester.”

The owl’s eyes dimmed for a moment. The spell fading. Icarus looked around, seeing where he was, and who he was talking to.

“Thank you for that, Max. I haven't seen him that happy in a long time.” The owl bowed.

“Don’t mention it. I know you won’t tell me where he is, but can you tell me if he is safe at least?”

“I cannot. Any information that could get out, no matter how small, could jeopardize him. I can’t. I am sorry.”

“No, no I understand.”

“Thank you, Max. I will leave you to it.”

With that he flew off towards the house.

Max sat, thinking. Lester is confirmed alive. He is in a dangerous place. One that limited his mana. Max realized there was so much more to this world. So much unknown information. So much common knowledge he didn’t know. Max had to learn. It might prove vital towards his longevity. Max had a meeting with Sir Downs or whatever tomorrow. Maybe he would go to the library after. Where even was the library. Max sighed. “So much to do...” He muttered.

Max stood; his mana fully recovered by now. “One more mana rotation and then bed.” He said, resolving a second wind. Sword after sword, until his mana dropped low.

Max dreamt of whispers again. This time, Max was sure he could hear a few words.