Pel arrived just behind Mat at Ty’s jewelry box shaped building, finding the man poking around one of his water tanks in the front room. Pel was hesitant to call them fish tanks, since there didn’t appear to be fish in any of them. Despite Ty being elbows deep in the tank, all the water was bending away from him as if he had an invisible forcefield around his arms and hands.

“Hello, Mat. Welcome back, Apple,” Ty said, looking up from the tank. “How was your shift today?”

“It was exciting, and terrifying, and painful, and boring, and kinda fun!” Mat said quickly. “We had to fight Dire Ants in the tunnels, and when we got back Ky was there, he healed Ri…and the rest of us too, but Ri was really hurt. Oh, Apple didn’t need healing, he never left the watchtower. But Ky did cast a spell on him, and showed him how Water Fairies heal!”

“Well, it sounds like a busy morning,” Ty replied patiently. “It’s good that Apple got to see some healing magic. Apple, which spell did Ky cast on you?”

“I think it was called [Stream of Insight]. It looked like a watery crown!” Pel said excitedly. “I got to feel how my Mana works with spells!”

“Ugh, that spell,” Ty said with distain. “That’s a spell fraught with traps.”

“What do you mean?” Pel asked. “I think I learned a lot, and it didn’t hurt like the Voidstone!”

“You have to keep in mind, it wasn’t your Mana that you felt,” Ty said, “it was Ky’s. What his Mana did is going to be very different from what your Mana will do. Having your head full of Ky’s experiences with magic could very well taint your own notions and perceptions. Let alone the differences between Water Fairies, the difference between Water and Celestial will be significant. [Stream of Insight] let you feel Ky’s insight into the workings of his own Mana, it didn’t give you insight into your own.”

“What’s wrong with any of that? I understand it wasn’t my Mana, but how is it bad to experience that?” Pel asked.

“Because now you have preconceived notions about how your Mana should work, right?” Ty replied. “You probably felt The Drop, and how it moved through Ky and are now expecting to feel something similar when you unlock your own Skill. That would only be helpful for other Water Fairies, or any two of the same type. You felt the Pathway his Mana took to cast his spell, but yours and anyone else’s are going to be entirely different. Pathways are unique to the individual, and nobody’s Mana flows exactly the same way. Knowing exactly what he knows can end up limiting you. Discovering your own magic for yourself is always better in the long run than taking shortcuts using someone else’s understanding.”

“Well, I still don’t think it was a bad thing,” Pel pouted.

“Just keep these things in mind once you begin practicing your own Skills. Don’t try emulating the experience with your own Mana, and you should be ok.” Ty said. “Now, how about you return to Voidstone practice until I can get things set up out here.”

“What are you setting up?” Pel asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ty replied, setting off some kind of mental itch in Pel’s head.

What’s this feeling? Pel thought. It’s like forgetting a word and having it on the tip of my tongue, but also like catching someone with something hidden behind their back and wanting to see what it is. Pel walked toward the back room, glancing over his shoulder several times to watch Ty who simply stood there smiling at him alongside Mat. They’re up to something.

Pel entered the back room, standing there at the barely cracked open door for a moment as his eyes swept across the cluttered wooden tablets. He turned around and slowly poked his head out the door, trying to sneak a peek back into the other room. Ty was still watching him and waved him away with his hand. Damnit, I really want to know!

Pel walked to the round table holding the dark-red pouch Ty brought out last time he was here. Carefully undoing the strings, he allowed the opening of the pouch to fall down and reveal the Voidstone. Despite the unpleasant experiences of his previous session, he didn’t hesitate to begin the breathing exercise. Once he was calm and centered, he placed two fingers on the stone.

The horrendous feeling of having his life sucked out was twice as strong with two fingers, and the creeping chill moved twice as fast. Pel’s face scrunched into a grimace as he struggled to remain still and calm. Definitely not sitting on this thing.

His fingers felt a bit stiff once he removed them from the stone as the chill reached his elbow. Pel noted his Mana was slightly higher than it had been during his last Voidstone experience, so he briefly touched the stone again dropping it nearly to 0. It was difficult to gauge how low he was based off the chill position and the low Mana headache, but trying to pay attention to his Self Help screen while fighting for his soul was too much of a distraction from the exercise.

Regenerating four times as much Mana as he had Stamina took half the time, and Pel wondered if this counted as eight times the exercise as he could do in The Roots. By the time his Mana was fully regenerated, Ty still hadn’t come to get him and he hadn’t seen Mat walk through. Damn, I really prefer using the Firestone at Hugo’s.

Pel once again reached out to the Voidstone, and focused on feeling his Mana. This forceful extraction was difficult to process compared to what it felt like when Ky cast the healing spell, or what the practice at Hugo’s was like. His Mana was being taken so violently it was difficult to feel anything. He could remember the tension of holding back with the Firestone, and then relaxing his hold but here it was just being snatched away. Instead, he tried clamping down and denying the Voidstone. At first it didn’t seem to make a difference, but the harder he tried the softer the suction became. The chill still advanced just as quickly regardless of his efforts, but then again Ty had said that the Mana of his body was different from his Mana Pool.

By the time Pel ran out of Mana this attempt, the chill had made it halfway between his elbow and his shoulder. That was progress. But what does it mean? I can resist the Voidstone a little, but it still takes my Mana so quickly. This attempt extended my contact with the stone by barely 10 seconds. Pel was happy with any progress, and even happier to see another notification awarding him more natural Willpower, but still couldn’t feel his Mana beyond just sensing its presence. He couldn’t feel the flow, or what Pathway it took. I know from Ky that my Mana travels through Pathways, but they don’t seem to be physical. My grip on Mana is independent from what my body is made from, and the Voidstone still took that freely. I should focus on what my grip is holding, more than the suction force from the stone.

Regenerated once again, Pel had to stand up and peek through the doorway. Just a quick break. He couldn’t help it. Not seeing or hearing from those two in almost 2 hours was making him antsy. What the fuck are they doing in there? Opening the door as quietly as possible, he was met by a wall of frothing water. It entirely covered the other side of the doorframe, preventing Pel from seeing into the room at all. What the hell?

Pel poked the water, finding that it repelled his finger entirely. Slapping the water sent a ripple through it, but it held firm. A circle opened up in the middle of the water, and Ty’s face appeared.

“Yes, Apple?” Ty asked from the other side.

“What are you doing out there?” Pel asked in return.

“It’s a secret,” Ty said, setting off another bout of curiosity in Pel.

“What secret?” Pel asked eagerly.

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret,” Ty said with a smile. “How goes the Mana practice?”

“Well, I can feel the presence of my Mana, but I can’t feel it moving. I don’t know where it’s coming from. It kinda feels like it’s everywhere.” Pel replied.

“It is everywhere,” Ty said as Pel tried to peek past him. “But as the Voidstone takes it from you, it has to move through your body to leave. Don’t worry about where it originates, just try feeling the movement. That will let you discover your Pathways, and after that you just have to trace them back to the point of origin.”

Ty’s head retreated from the opening which quickly closed the room off once more. Pel pounded on the barrier a couple more times before wiping his wet hand off on his pants. Fuck I want to go in there! I bet if I threw the Voidstone at the water it would go away, Pel thought. Looking at the stone he was greatly tempted, but decided that angering his Mentor was probably not the best idea so he just took at seat once more.

Breathing deeply Pel settled in and thought about all the things Ty had ever said to him. Mana is energy. Spells use Mana; therefore, they use energy. The Voidstone steals energy. My Mana Pool is stored energy, which is potential energy for spells. If it’s stored it has to exist somewhere. Using spells requires me to take the energy from somewhere and send it into the spell, which is where Pathways come in. Maybe I’ve been too focused on my hand, and the Voidstone. If I can ignore those, I might be able to feel the flow of Mana.

Pel reached out with one finger, draining himself so quickly with two wasn’t good for trying to feel such a small thing. He tightened up, the physical action assisting the mental one like a helping hand. Ignore the stone, ignore the stone, what spreading cold, there is no cold. Feel the energy, or at least the loss of it. I have energy, and now I’m losing it. It’s coming from somewhere; I have Pathways even if I can’t use them for anything yet.

Pel felt for a rushing sensation everywhere except his hand, which was hard since the object he was touching was literally anathema to his existence. What is even the point of this? Once I’m Level 5 I can feel my Mana all I want, right? Wait, what’s that? Just as his concentration was slipping, he felt something new. During his momentary distraction he had forgotten about the Voidstone entirely, like an obnoxious noise finally fading into the background.

It reminded him of what smoke drifting through a still room looked like, except felt with his mind. There was nothing physical about it, but it had texture nonetheless. Why is this so complicated to describe? Pel thought. It was like feeling the warmth of the sun with your eyes closed, except instead of the warmth it was the individual particles of light. That’s it, light. If light had texture, this is what it’d feel like. Like laying still in the sun and having a shadow move across him was what his Mana felt like as it drained away. The feeling was washed away by the rush of energy and warmth that accompanied a Level-up.

Pel broke contact with the Voidstone, jumping out of his chair and doing a little happy dance. He’d finally felt it for real! His Mana was like a textured gas of light, and as it moved, he could feel the particles rubbing his Pathways. Because the Mana was coming from everywhere at once instead of through specific Pathways to power a spell, the feeling had been incredibly faint. Opening his Self Help screen, he allocated both Attribute Points into Clarity and inspected his Level 4 stats.

Self Help Interface Name: Errapel Class/Race: Lesser Celestial Fairy Level: 4 Free AP: 0 Health: 32 (0.39/hr) AP Used: 8 Stamina: 43 (0.50/min) Secrets Discovered: 0 Mana: 13/200 (4.4/min) Things Stolen: 0 Attributes Points Added Score Description Charisma 0 6 Influences persuasiveness, likeability, and chance to succeed with certain types of magic. Clarity 4 21 Influences perception, rational thought, Mana, Mana Regeneration, Magic Damage, and ability to resist certain magical mind-altering effects. Dexterity 0 9 Influences physical dexterity and overall agility. Increases flexibility, movement and attack speed, and also increases your physical efficiency and precision. Strength 0 1 Influences physical strength, lifting/carrying capacity, and Physical Damage. Vitality 4 7 Influences overall constitution and endurance, increases Health and Stamina and their respective Regeneration rates. Also increases Poison Resistance. Willpower 0 5 Influences ability to focus, and ignore distractions. Has other effects at high level. Passive Skills Fairy Racial Traits:

Pure Magic - You are a being born of pure Mana given physical form. The only sustenance you require is Mana. You may alter your physical appearance incrementally over time at will. You have an Unlimited Lifespan, but be careful, you can still die.

Ferrous Fear-ous - Ferrous materials burn you, and interfere with your ability to use magic, and magic-like abilities.

Magical Metabolism - Any food or drink consumed is quickly broken down completely, and a portion is directly converted into Mana.

Kleptocurious - You have a strong urge to know things, and to take things. Especially secret things!

Star Touched (Celestial) - While exposed to star light, increase all Regeneration rates by 20%, and all other Racial Skills are 10% stronger.

Active Skills Name Cost Description & Effect Fairy Wings [Racial] 1.2 Stam/min

Summons a pair of Fairy Wings, granting Perfect Flight (omnidirectional control of flight path). Speed of flight is dependent upon your Level, and Dexterity Score.

Flight Speed: 7 Meters/sec (7.7 in star light)

Mote [Racial] - - Transforms you into a mote of light, granting Perfect Flight. You can fit through most openings, even really tiny ones! Flight speed is limited to 1/3 that of Fairy Wings. While in mote form, you cannot use or benefit from other Skills. The brightness of your mote form is variable from "tiny ember" to "lantern". Maximum brightness increases with Level.

One more to go. Once I get to Level 5, I can be helpful. Pel didn’t want to be forced to sit in the watchtower again, not knowing what was happening was stressful. As he sat regenerating his Mana the door to the back room opened letting in a smiling Mat.

“Alright, Apple. You can come out now,” Mat said.

Pel ran so quickly, the next thing Mat knew he was standing in the back room alone. Pel excitedly looked around the front room, searching for something that constituted a secret big enough to keep him blocked off in the back. Ty was standing in the middle of the room, a room seemingly exactly the same as it was the last time Pel walked through it.

“Where’s the secret?” Pel asked.

“It’s hidden,” Ty replied with a smile.

“Where’s it hidden?” Pel asked, renewing his search.

“That’s part of the secret,” Ty elaborated.

“You’re not being very Mentor-y right now,” Pel frowned. “Can I at least have a hint?”

“Mat and I hid secret objects around the room. They look like ordinary objects, but contain a trace amount of our Mana stuffed inside,” Ty explained. “I want you to try to find them.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” Pel asked.

“You managed to feel your own Mana, this is like that but from the outside,” Ty said. “If you can do this, you’ll get a secret Skill!”

“What kind of Skill?” Pel asked.

“The kind of skill that lets you know other people’s Level!” Mat chimed in from the doorway. “This is how everyone learns it. For the most part.”

“How does finding hidden objects unlock a secret, Level seeing Skill?” Pel questioned.

“Because, discovering secrets is fundamental part of being a Fairy!” Mat said happily. “There’s even a section for it on our Self Help screen. The more secrets you discover, the more Fairy stuff you can unlock!”

“What kind of Fairy stuff?” Pel asked.

“The secret kind of Fairy stuff,” Ty said. “Now, if you want to find one before I kick you out for the day, you should start looking. Mat and I will be upstairs.”

Pel was so excited, he didn’t know where to start.

“Secret Fairy Skills are bullshit,” Pel complained to Mat as they flew down through The Mother Tree. No matter how hard he had tried, he couldn’t find anything in any of the water tanks, or stuffed into the moss of the ceiling of Ty’s front room. There were plenty of things to look at everywhere, but nothing that felt like Mana. At least Ty let me take the Voidstone. I can keep using that for Mana exercise.

“Don’t worry about it. You have forever to figure it out!” Mat said happily. “Literally, we might live forever!”

“That doesn’t make it better,” Pel whined. “I don’t wanna learn it eventually, I wanna learn it five minutes ago.”

“You’re already Leveling pretty fast, what’s the rush?” Mat asked.

“I just…I didn’t like sitting in the watchtower alone while everyone was down in the tunnels today,” Pel confided. “I feel useless not being able to help. I just want to reach Level 5 so I can get my first Skill.”

“You aren’t useless,” Mat said. “Keeping watch over, or under, The Mother Tree is helpful for everyone! It took me two weeks to reach Level 5. You’re only what, three and a half days old and already Level 4?”

“Yea, but it feels like three weeks,” Pel said. “Not to mention, as I get my first Skill, I won’t have to use the Voidstone anymore.”

“If you hate the Voidstone so much, why did you borrow it from Ty?” Mat asked.

“Because I’m going to skip the birthday party tonight and keep exercising my Mana. Surely if I don’t sleep, I can hit Level 5 by the morning,” Pel explained.

“Oh, I wouldn’t skip the party. That’s how Fairies get most of their experience!” Mat said. “I understand skipping the ceremony though. Most people don’t go every night anyway.”

“I suppose,” Pel mumbled. He did like Berry’s ale, and dancing was always fun. I wonder if I liked alcohol and dancing on Earth? I can’t remember anything like Berry’s, but for some reason the term ‘clubbing’ pops into my head…

“Well, this is my new house! I’m gonna go practice the flute, see you tonight maybe!” Mat announced.

“Wait, I thought you were practicing drawing?” Pel asked.

“I was, but now I’m practicing the flute! Drawing was fun for a while, but the flute makes noise!” Mat explained.

“Have fun then,” Pel said, waving to the departing Mat.

When Pel arrived at his own house he immediately set the Voidstone down on his table, despite it not actually touching his skin he still felt uneasy about having it so close. He could put up with it when he was actively using it, but carrying it so causally felt like flirting with disaster. Pel looked around the room, aside from a third window it was identical to his previous house.

His nest of pillows and blankets looked awfully inviting, and having previously made up his mind to train through the night to reach Level 5 he decided to stack the pillows and fold the blankets to make it look less immediately appealing. Maybe I could find a fun hobby that also counts toward increasing experience? Pel thought as he looked around the otherwise barren room.

With nothing else to do until the party started later, Pel walked to his table and took a seat to unwrap the Voidstone. Briefly meditating on whether or not he really wanted to extend his suffering with the stone, or listen to Mat’s advice and take his time he stuck his finger out before he could talk himself out of it. As the stone sucked the life out of him, he kept his mind focused on the sensation of Mana moving through his Pathways. The barely perceptible feeling was as illusive as ever behind the roaring insistence of the stone, but he was slowly getting better.

I wonder how much of my improvement is due to my increased Clarity, and how much has to do with simple repetition? The fact that here on Enna Pel could improve himself through Attributes and not just through hard work was confusing. He couldn’t tell if the points were more a reflection of his work, or a bonus in addition to it. Also, why does my Health not go down when I lose Mana from my body due to the Voidstone? He had his mentorship with Hugo tomorrow, and he was even less talkative than Ty. Pel decided he would just have to wait two days to get an answer to that. Unless I see Ky again tomorrow, but hopefully under better circumstances than today.

Deciding to make full use of his time, Pel dropped to the floor for push-ups while his Mana regenerated. I wonder if the amount of experience this type of training provides depends on what the relevant Attribute score is? My Clarity is three times my Vitality, just less than that if you also include my insignificant point in Strength. What if physical training is more efficient than mental training? And why haven’t I unlocked a single natural point in Strength yet? With how much physical exercise I’ve done in the last 3 days how is it that I’ve only received Vitality?

Pel continued thinking about all the things he didn’t know until he bottomed out his Stamina. And how does working out make my arms and legs hurt if I don’t have muscles? He pulled himself back into his chair as the last of his Mana regenerated to begin the process anew. The early days of being a Fairy are bullshit. Breathing evenly, he touched the Voidstone again while wishing he had asked Hugo for a Firestone.

Pel was able to do two sessions with the Voidstone before his Stamina regenerated to full, and quickly lost himself in the repetition. It wasn’t until the air started vibrating that he realized he had spent the last four hours or so in a haze. His right arm was constantly sore and chilled from the Voidstone, and it wasn’t completely fading between sessions anymore. Pel was beginning to worry that this practice might have longer term consequences. Ty did say that prolonged exposure was dangerous, and that careful doses was the way to go.

As the vibrations in the air picked up speed, Pel guessed he had another 30 minutes or so until the ceremony was concluded. Just enough time to knock out half a set of squats and get to Berry’s early for a seat at the bar. As he spent his Stamina, Pel tried to calculate how much more time he’d need to spend with these exercises before he hit Level 5.

The past three and a half days had seen him in The Roots for about twelve hours, Ty’s for eight, Hugo’s for four, and who knows how many hours flying around. The flying was fairly low intensity, it probably didn’t count for too much. Unless flying counts as extra Fairy-like compared to physical exercise. How is this stuff weighted? Dancing, and drinking probably added up to nearly ten or twelve hours as well. His first night of partying resulted in a single Level-up, so discounting the time spent for that it was probably closer to eight in the last two nights.

Since Pel’s Level-up to 4, he’d done about four hours of combined mental and physical training in addition to the hour or two he’s spent at Ty’s running around a room full of water tanks looking for stupid secret objects. With the party coming up, and an entire evening after that to keep training, he just might be able to hit Level 5 by the morning. Or maybe at some point when I’m at Hugo’s tomorrow after watch duty. Pel called the squats quits when he reached 50% Stamina. Flexing his stiff right hand in discomfort he left his house and took flight for Berry’s.

The air was rather uncrowded as he made his way upward. Several Fairies were already partying on balconies and rooftops, and several lazy motes of light drifted aimlessly as Pel flew past; a large chunk of the population clearly still at the amphitheater for the ceremony. Without having to dodge or detour around chatting groups of Fairies, flying upward in a spiral was faster than normal. I wonder what a group of Fairies is called? A flock? A cloud?

“Evenin’, Apple,” Berry said as Pel walked down the stairs. The bar was still fairly empty, fewer than half the tables were occupied. “Skipping the ceremony? Congrats on Level 4!” Berry walked straight to the barrel of Nutbrown Ale, pouring a mug for Pel.

“Hi Berry,” Pel said as he sat at the bar. “Thanks, I Leveled-up at Ty’s place…before he made me go on a stupid secret scavenger hunt. I didn’t find a single thing! And yes, I’m skipping the ceremony. Ty let me borrow his Voidstone so I can keep doing Mana training. I decided to work extra hard to I can get to Level 5 faster.”

“Secret scavenger hunt?” Berry asked, leaning slightly too close over the bar. Pel could feel a curious air rise behind him, but when he looked nothing seemed amiss.

“Yea, he hid some stuff with his Mana stuffed into it in his water tank room that I’m supposed to find. Ty told me it would help me learn to see people’s Levels.” Pel explained sourly, taking a swig of the ale. “Not that I managed to find a single one.”

“Ah, a Presence detection exercise.” Berry said, returning to cleaning mugs. “You really shouldn’t skip the ceremonies though; it makes Tina sad.”

“What’s Presence?” Pel asked. “Also, people skip the ceremony all the time. You did! They did!” Pel pointed behind him.

“True, but then again…they can blend in with the crowd. You’re the only golden light in The Mother Tree,” Berry pointed out. “As for Presence, you felt those Fairies behind you just now, right? When you mentioned the secret scavenger hunt?”

“I felt something, but I didn’t see anything,” Pel said.

“That was Presence,” Berry explained. “The feeling another person gives off. Like when you have an itch on the back of your head and when you look someone is staring at you. Or when you walk into someplace dark and know you aren’t alone. That kinda thing.”

“Hugo mentioned something about Aura Field yesterday, is that the same thing?” Pel asked.

“No. Presence is the unique feeling another person gives off. Because everyone’s Mana is a little different, so is their Presence. Aura Field is complicated. That’s more of an expansion of someone’s natural Mana barrier, which can increase how noticeable their Presence is,” Berry said. “But it isn’t the same thing.”

“Berry, every time you answer my questions I end up with more questions,” Pel complained, taking another sip. “What do you mean, natural Mana barrier?”

“Ha! It’s a bit hard to explain to someone who doesn’t have a Mana Skill, but it’s the barrier that your Mana has to pass through to cast a Skill,” Berry explained. “It’s the Mana equivalent of what your skin is for your physical body. Oh, I got work to do. Talk in a minute.”

Berry put on his best customer service smile, and waved to the crowd entering his bar. It seemed that the ceremony was over and everyone was ready to party. Pel watched as Berry served a couple dozen Fairies at record speed, many of his movements literally blurring. The slowest part of his performance was the speed of gravity pouring liquid into the mugs.

Tina and the new Fairy entered shortly after the crowd was situated, with the new arrival’s blueish silver hair looking unfortunately windswept.

“Hi, Apple! Missed you at the ceremony tonight. Were you here the whole time?” Tina asked.

“No, I was training at home. I got here maybe fifteen minutes ago,” Pel said, sloshing a still mostly full mug.

“You shouldn’t work so hard! Have fun! Oh, this is Rapi. They’re a Lightning Fairy!” Tina introduced.

“Hi, I’m Apple. Celestial Fairy,” Pel said, giving the new, naked Fairy a hug. “Did you enjoy learning to fly?”

“Nice to meet you,” Rapi said with a smile. “I enjoyed flying, but learning was a little stressful.” Pel chuckled, and saw Tina’s smile widen behind Rapi’s back at the mention of learning to fly.

Tina ordered her usual, and Berry managed to con another Fairy into drinking Birthday Brandy. Dancing consumed the bar shortly after the congratulatory slaps on the back, and usual welcome to the family greetings. Somehow despite partying every night of his new life so far, Pel was beginning to understand the appeal. This is nice.