Morning came and Mannat was up with the sun. The sky had grown lighter in shades of blue by the time he walked out of the hut. A night on the hard table had definitely left its marks upon his face and body. There was no helping it, as only the table was clean enough for him to use as a bed. There was eagerness in his joints that he couldn’t explain. They popped like crackers with the tiniest movements, hurrying him to get on with the day.

The birds were up and singing, the cold air was refreshing, and the sight was one to yearn for. A hut, and a garden surrounded by woods and peace. Mannat quite liked the morning. He appreciated the world, but then remembered his plans and ran straight toward the garden.

The tall and sharp iron pole fence couldn’t thwart his excitement as he jumped over them, and dropped straight in the mud. So much for harvesting carrots from the ground, he had planted himself in the garden. His lips twitched. Air was cold and the dirt colder, measuring his ability and calm.

He shook his bare feet to get the wet dirt sticking to his toes; he would have an easier time washing them in water, but who had time for that? Certainly, he didn’t! The mud was not enough to seal his enthusiasm. He snarled and trudged through the garden.

He would have continued forward without hesitation had a crow not taken flight from someone in the garden.

Mannat only heard the loud beating of large wings and his heart started racing. His feet stopped dead in track as the last night and the humbling he had received at the hands of the Witch’s raven flashed through his mind. He worriedly looked around, found the crow in the sky, and sighed in relief. It was flying away, toward the forest, not toward him. Thank god.

Exhaling loudly in relief, he slipped through the garden until he was in front of a lush green carrot. The thin shoot bumbled left and right in the low wind and brushed against his pelvis. It made him itchy -- not an awful feeling though. The shoot had flowered. He caressed the pale yellow flower and chanted: Inspect. A blue sheen instantly grew vibrant in his eyes without any rumbling and tumbling of bells. The world remained quiet, unmoved, uninterested as the result of his inspection magically floated out in front of his eyes. There were almost no surprises.

[Carrot] [Root plant] [Edible]

[Age: 3 day] [Mana: 3/3] [Status: Healthy]

The translucent words faintly glowed as they floated in front of his face. The words and the glyphs were unreadable to him; their message though was clear in his mind. He was more surprised at the information it provided. Turned out, the carrot that looked weeks old had not been growing for more than a few days. It was amazing and perturbing at the same time!

“No wonder I made a fool of myself yesterday…”

He craned his neck and looked around; almost every growing root looked the same as the one he had inspected. Their differences were negligible. It was impossible to judge whether the carrot was ready for harvesting from the outer growth alone. He wanted to pick one out to see how the stats resulted in the growth of the carrot.

As for that young carrot, he decided to leave it alone for now. Common sense dictated it didn’t have enough time for development. To its direct left, there was one root with comparatively underdeveloped shoot -- its stem was barely a third in size to the previous one. He inspected it next, just to compare the two, not actually hoping to find a solution to his embarrassingly naive problem. He repeated the steps and chanted softly: Inspect. He didn’t have many expectations from this barely sprouted root, but the result surprised, or rather confused him.

[Carrot] [Root plant] [Edible]

[Age: 9 days] [Mana: 1/1] [Status: Healthy]

His lips twitched twice and his brows rose together toward the sky. Suddenly, the wind blew from the east and the plants growing in the garden swirled and clapped their leaves as if amused at his dilemma. Adding salt to his wound was a high-pitched voice that rose from the direction of the hut and slyly asked him, “Did you learn anything new today, or are you still trying your luck?”

The witch had impeccable timing, as always. Made him wonder if she was watching him and waiting for a chance to embarrass him. A smirk grew on Mannat’s face. He was not afraid. He truly had some gains.

“Where were you?” Mannat fired back, not retracting his sight from the floating private message. He wanted to face her, but he suddenly had an idea and lost interest in the Witch.

He pulled out both the carrots to see that whether he was right or not. The young carrot cried silent tears that day. Mannat lied to her, betrayed, and violated her without mercy. However, her sacrifice was not in vain. Both the carrots were as long as his pinky, the same size despite their age difference. It was not a great harvest, but Mannat stood straight and smiled.

Mana was the answer to his problem.

The carrots were showing a disproportionate amount of growth because of mana! There was abundant mana in the Witch’s garden. The tree --it had stopped glowing in rainbow shades since the sun was up and shining-- was the reason behind the out-of-season vegetable and flowers growing in the Witch’s garden.

His results were confirmed when bells rang in his mind and another blue, ethereal glowing box floated out in front of his eyes.

[Inspect has risen to level 5] [Your Intelligence has increased by one point.]

Just like that, Mannat drew one step closer to the job he needed to save his mother from eternal damnation.

He unknowingly looked at the Witch. She was frowning and it made him smile, which made her irritated.

“You got the message?” She said. Her voice lingered, like an echo. Perhaps, it was his imagination, but he didn’t like how it distorted her voice and made her sound demonic.

“I did,” he answered smugly. He was surprised at how easy it was. He hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, but the Witch’s grumbling was enough to curb his appetite for the time being. He relaxed, thinking, he wouldn’t have to listen to the old hag’s taunts anymore.

He was wrong.

The Witch swayed. “Are you happy now?” She said forgivingly.

“Very happy,”

She smirked. “Then will you stop destroying my garden?”

That’s right. His smile faded. He had almost forgotten about that problem.

Mannat glanced at the lively garden. He had managed to link the reason and chaos contributing to the carrot’s growth, but he hadn’t controlled it yet. Mana was not the only factor driving their growth, after all. There was also the length of the carrot shoots and their age. Unfortunately, his tier-1 skill only revealed those few attributes. They were all he had to work with.

Truthfully, he was still no better than yesterday.

“Oh, don’t worry.” said the Witch. Her voice was smug and droning beside his ears, like a bee inspecting a flower to milk honey from its marrow. “I’m sure you’ll learn to do it right, eventually. Until then, here--” Mannat looked and saw her throwing a small brown handbag at him. It fell somewhere in the middle of the roots. Neither did she have the strength to throw it to him, and nor could he catch it even if he wanted. However, the Witch didn’t seem to realize that. She spoke on as if Mannat had already caught the bag.

“Bow the seeds in the empty slots when you are done. I don’t want to lose my garden to your infestation.” She said, picked her staff, and prodded back into the hut. Mannat wanted to refuse, but the Witch was gone. He helplessly picked up the small jute bag, pulled the string, saw the small seeds inside, and then closed it again. He made up his mind. Fun and games aside -- the Witch wanted to see results so he would show her results!

He stared at the hut and made a proud fist. The glowing message had long faded from his sight, but he had already reached out with a hand and plucked a star from the sea of knowledge. Gradually, he would gain a foothold under the Witch, learning from her, improving himself, and one day surely, he will wake his mother.

After playing for an hour in the cold wet garden, Mannat had amassed a treasure consisting of two plum red carrots. The pot he was using to carry the goods almost weighted a few kilograms’. Of course, he didn’t forget to gather the seeds from the ripened carrots. There were only two in the whole garden; one was over a month old, while the other was barely a week old. It didn’t make sense, but he was starting to get used to it –not the mystery, but the absurdness of it all.

He bowed the seeds while the pot boiled. The sun was already up in the sky and shining light upon a new day by the time he was half done. The wind was starting to calm down and grow warm. He was working hard in the garden when he heard the sound of a carriage rolling down on the lone empty road. He was focused enough to ignore the birds and his thought, but that familiar crunching of dirt under the wheels pulled him back into reality.

He raised his head above the carrot tops and saw the dark brown shadow slowly hover out of the tree shadow and plod toward the Witch’s farm.

Mannat was surprised at first, then grew excited to see another person at the clearing beside the Witch. The old hag was too unsightly. She stank and was creepy throughout. Hopefully, it would be someone his age so he could have a conversation.

He stopped whatever he was doing and hurriedly stood up. He didn’t move out of the garden, however. He would go out if it were someone he knew, otherwise… back to work. He liked the thought and nodded softly. A glance back at the hut showed no activity from the Witch’s side. Perfect. Either the Witch didn’t know about the coming guest --which was impossible, since she even knew about his father leaving home in the village-- or she wasn’t interested in welcoming the guest. It was probably the latter-- most likely.

Slowly, the cart approached closer, pulled by a very familiar brown horse with white socks. Shocked and surprised, a smile unknowingly grew wide on Mannat’s face. He knew who it was!

“Father,” he mumbled in yearning and found his feet galloping through the garden, leaving behind foot deep impressions in the dirt. He was dead.

The cart was still far, but he could see the strong man sitting in the driver's seat. Raesh, his father, wore brown pants and a loose half sleeve shirt that had lace spreads at the neck. He looked better, had shaved and cut his hair so they were finger length and combed straight back.

Mannat’s heart trembled. A nervous shaking took his hands. He glanced back at the hut again, this time with forlorn expectation.

Please, don’t come out. He prayed.

The witch heard him, or she had disappeared somewhere again because she didn’t appear to disrupt the boy from meeting his father. Goosebumps had his arm hair standing straight as Mannat made for the narrow dirt road skirting the garden.

His father didn’t notice him at first; Raesh was staring at the hut with hardened-unshaken eyes, but then he noticed the figure rushing toward him. His head turned sharply and eyes glared. Then he noticed the thin boy coming toward him and couldn’t look away. Raesh pulled the reins in a hurry, and Bhadur’s front feet took off from the ground. Bhadur neighed in pain before falling back to the ground. He snorted and shook his head to bear the sting, but didn’t angrily kick his legs around in a fit. He was simply... too smart.

Mannat’s heart was pounding inside his chest when his father jumped down from the cart. Their eyes met. Both saw each other. One smiled, and the other frowned. Raesh looked at his son from head to feet. Face covered in dirt, sweat dripping down his forehead, shirtless, pants muddy, and shoes nonexistent. In one day, Mannat had forgotten everything his mother had taught about keeping appearances.

At this moment, a blackbird, obviously, the raven, descended from the sky. It didn’t attack them but tried to take perch upon Bhadur’s head. The horse disagreed. “Leave him alone!” Raesh yelled. Perhaps, the bird got scared; it backed off, took flight, and didn’t disturb them again.

Mannat didn’t see the bird or his father’s expressions. He jumped over the fence, ran, and fell into his father’s arms. At that moment, his heartbeat was loud enough to fill his ears. Raesh could also feel his small heart drumming crazily through their contact and tightly held him.

In one day, both of them had changed. Mannat didn’t smell the musty odor of sweat from his father; while Raesh felt a string of bubbling emotions from his son.

No one said a word, and they didn’t let go of each other. The moment was exactly like a past memory coming to the surface and repeating itself.

Half a decade ago, Raesh had gone alone to find Mannat in the woods at night, and once again he had come back to find the boy in the woods. A slippery tear slipped down Mannat face and he rubbed his eyes on his father’s shoulders. Raesh could hear him sniffing and softly rubbed his lonely back.

They took their time before separating from one another and finally looked at each other.

Both had their changes. The boy had grown up and the man had aged in a single day. Raesh grabbed Mannat’s hands and looked at his calloused, ink-dyed palms. Mannat also watched the dark circles under his father’s faintly red eyes.

Raesh rubbed his large thumb over Mannat’s small hands and asked, “What were you doing in there?”

“Gardening…” Mannat said wiping his face on the forearm. It made the dirt spread further on his forehead. Raesh wondered if he should tell the boy or let him find out later. He decided to let it be; the boy looked surprisingly good covered in mud.

A blush grew on Mannat’s face when he saw surprise and confusion contort his father’s face. Even he had doubts about the Witch’s method of training when he had first heard her talk about it, but the results were apparent. Her method, though unique and absurd, worked; and he wanted results. He needed them direly.

“She’s making you do labor?”The words grew louder as they rumbled out of Raesh’s throat. Mannat hurriedly corrected him.

“No, no, father; it’s to cook food and train my skills.” He hurriedly pointed toward the hut, exactly at the pot boiling over the fire. They could hardly see it from there, but the pillar of white smoke rising to the sky guided them to its location.

However, Raesh wasn’t convinced. He knew a thing or two about training and he had never heard of someone doing gardening to improve their skills. Not only was the notion absurd, but it also angered him.

Mannat’s heart grew worried when Raesh face-hardened and his eyes grew distant. He was looking at the hut. Did he want to confront the witch? Mannat gripped his father’s shirt. Raesh looked at him, saw him worried and relaxed. He was only letting the matter rest for now. He would deal with it later. Witch or not, he would not let her treat his son as a laborer.

Raesh exhaled loudly to release the tension. It seemed to work, as Mannat grip on his shirt slacked. “How is your mother?” He said. He didn’t show it, but his voice betrayed his emotions. It came out sad and solemn.

Raesh wasn’t worried about the Witch’s promise to help. That woman had never come short of a promise even once in her life. However, that was his wife, his dear, the love of his life! How could he not worry about her? He didn’t show it, but he was an emotional mess inside.

“She stable now,” Mannat said and grew silent. The quiet was aggravating.

He controlled the tears from flowing, but his eyes still grew wet. Raesh saw them and the happiness they had found fizzled out like the last spark of life in a dying fire.

“Is she awake?”

Mannat clenched his fist and shook his head. “NO.” he whistled out helplessly and dropped his head.

Raesh pulled his head up and said, “I want to see her.” His voice was firm, emotionless. That was not a suggestion, but an order.

Mannat had heard that tone of voice a lot in the smithy, but he was still not used to it. His legs stiffened and he subconsciously grew attentive. Mannat was going to speak but paused; his eyes looked away in thoughts. Was it possible to show the underground chamber to his father? Not possible. Would the Witch agree? Absolutely not.

“That not possible,” Mannat said without hesitation. “It’s not safe.”

“Did the witch—“

“No,” Mannat interrupted his father, but he didn’t explain. “Please, don’t worry. She’s in safe ha — she’s safe. Please, don’t try to take her away. I can help her. Believe in me,” Mannat said and though Raesh frowned hard, he didn’t force the boy. He knew his son the best. Others might say shit about the young boy, but he knew how hard the boy had worked, and how smart he was. Mannat wouldn’t tell him to not worry unless he knew exactly what he was doing. It made sense, but Raesh still wanted to see his wife, Noor.

“I want to see her,” Raesh said and stood up straight. His explosive muscles became taut, ready to burst with unquestionable, hard strength. “You take me to see her or I’ll go by myself,” he said, but Mannat didn’t falter. He shook his head.

“She’s not in the hut,” Mannat told his father, and Raesh’s thoughts turned awkward for a moment. He looked around. There was only that one hut in the clearing. There was a garden, a tree, and a hut. There was nothing elsewhere the Witch could have kept his wife.

He could force the boy to tell him…

A gust of wind brought a break in their conversation. It also opened a small distance between them. The wind was cold and biting but passed away as quickly as it had come. It calmed them both and gave them time to decide what they wanted to do.

Mannat thought his father would persist, but Raesh easily gave up. The hunkering man let the stiffness out with a breath. He nodded. “Alright,” he said and shrugged his head to point behind the boy. “So, what are you cooking?”

Mannat jumped up on his feet and turned back in a hurry to see the pot, before facing his father again. “Carrots,” he said. “And some potatoes, with ginger and garlic,”

Raesh’s lips twitched with each word he heard and a shallow pink blush crept upon Mannat’s face. He knew what his father would ask.

“Is the Witch turning you into a pig? Where is the meat?”

Mannat grieved. “Where am I going to find meat out here in the woods? You don’t expect me to travel to the village and back every day for meat, do you?”

“Is she forcing you to stay away from the village?”

Mannat thought about it. The Witch had never said that. He simply assumed it because of things. That reminded him…

“How’s Pandit? Did he—did he wake up?” He said with hesitation.

Pandit was his best friend, and he had not thought twice before coming to the Witch’s place with him in the middle of the night. How could he forget about him! Mannat felt ashamed to call himself a friend.

Raesh understood his mood and ruffled his hair. “He woke up this morning, but couldn’t get up from bed. He said his vision was swimming.”

He saw Mannat’s face losing blood and added, “The doctor said it was weakness and nothing serious. He should be up and active in a day or two.”

Mannat raised his head and their eyes met. He was relieved; his gaze softened and his jaw slacked. His nostrils flared, but it was easy to see the complications driving his thoughts.

“I think it’s done.” Raesh suddenly said.

Mannat tilted his head in confusion, causing Raesh to smile. He motioned with his chin at the space behind Mannat and tersely said, “The pot is boiling. We better take a look before it erupts.”

Mannat looked over his shoulder and noticed the white smoke clouds rising from the fire pit. He could faintly hear the sound of water bubbling and boiling over the soft wind.

“You want to eat?” Mannat licked his lips. Would his father join him? The pounding of his heart was back. It was shallow, but there. He was excited.

“Sure,” Raesh shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t ask if he could go near the Witch’s hut or not, but slowly and calmly followed behind Mannat. Once Mannat was looking away his expressions hardened and he swallowed a tough gulp. He blinked fast to get the bitterness out of his eyes. He kept his eyes on the hut and got ready to confront the malicious witch. He hadn’t forgotten her words and demands before she agreed to help them conceive a child. He didn’t know her ambitions, but she had already achieved half of it by taking the boy.

He was already thinking about how to deal with the consequence of the promise he had made and fate had fulfilled. He had been thinking about looking for help from his past. He was sure they would help their daughter, but whether they would help his family was another thing altogether. However, if it meant saving his wife and son, then—

“Here,” The sweet and young voice pulled him back to reality. The redness receded from his eyes and he saw Mannat holding a steaming boiled potato for him with eager eyes. He frowned. The boy noticed and misunderstood.

“Sorry, there are no plates to serve them. I only have this pot and the bucket.”Mannat told him.

Raesh took the potato but didn’t peel it. He looked at the utensils, then asked, “Where do you get the water from? I don’t see a well around.”

“Oh, yes,” Mannat’s voice rose by a few octaves. “Come,” He stood up, forgetting about hunger and the cooked roots. “Let me show you something. There is an amazing artifact at the back of the house. It can pull water from the ground. Do you understand? It can entirely get rid of wells! Won't that be great?

Goosebumps rose up Raesh's arms when he saw the dazzling smile grow on Mannat's face. He thought the boy would be despondent, frail, and on the verge of breaking at the clearing, but never thought he would be excited. Turned out, not only was the boy not having any trouble, but he seemed to have found a place where he could be himself. Raesh didn’t know what to think about it. Perhaps, the Witch was not so bad. No, no. Raesh shook his head. Though he wanted to see what it was that had enamored his son, he controlled himself still. He wouldn’t let any Witch magic take his breath away. At least one of them needed to be sane and untouched by the Witch’s sorcery to deal with her.

“Let’s eat first. Potatoes become hard to eat when they get cold.”

“You are right.”

Mannat pulled one from the bucket of cold water, hurriedly peeled its skin, and took a bite. Then he groaned… he was eating a potato that hadn’t even been seasoned. Did he find it good because of his garden workout? He knew that kind of sensation, and the two sensations were completely different from one another.

Could it be the potato in his hand? Mannat took another bite of the still steaming oblong root, then another, one more, and then put the rest of it in his mouth, chewed and swallowed it without any reservations.

“Whoa,” He mumbled faintly and picked another potato floating in the bucket. Thankfully, it was his father sitting opposite him. His mother would have had many things to say about his manners or lack thereof.

Raesh was watching him and frowning. It was just a potato. Could it really be so great? He also had reservations, but he still followed his son and took a bite of the potato. God forgives, his eyes opened wide in astonishment.

He subconsciously jerked his hand away from the root, glared, and uttered. “What in the gods name is this…” He was stupefied.

“Tastes good right?” Mannat was asking. “I felt the same the first time I ate one.”

“Is this thing really a potato?”

“Wait until you try the carrot. It’s sweet and filling—“

Raesh hurriedly finished the potato then beaconed the boy for a carrot. “Give me one.” His worry for the Witch could wait until he had eaten. Maybe, this was how the Witch expected to tear their defenses.

Looking at the two hungrily devouring the vegetables, perhaps, she already had.

Mannat was all too happy to accompany his father’s wish. He also finished his potato and shared a carrot with his father. It wasn’t much later that a grunt escaped through Raesh’s lips. He couldn’t believe what he had eaten.

“Are you sure this is safe?” He asked after eating five baby carrots. Finally, he remembered that the Witch grew the vegetables.

“Who knows what kind of sorcery she has done to them?” Raesh said crunching down another baby carrot. He then proceeded to lick his fingers and searched the mud-colored pit for another.

Mannat shook his head while peeling a potato. “It’s fine. Believe me. It’s not sorcery, but the tree.” He pointed to the side drawing Raesh’s gaze toward it, and continued, “It releases mana at night and I believe the crops in the gardens grow absorbing it and that’s why they are slightly more…

“Addicting,” Raesh supplied. He was still trying to wrap his head around this topic when Mannat said something dumbfounding. “At least I believe so.”

Raesh was speechless.

“How do you know?”

“About that...” suddenly Mannat sat up straight. Raesh knew the boy was going to talk about something serious, and reluctantly put the carrot down. He loved the potato, but he had always had a different relationship with carrots. They were his lifeblood.

Raesh looked around just to make sure the Witch wasn’t nearby. He didn’t find her and put his attention on Mannat.

“Father,” Mannat started. “The witch told me something about attributes that I think you should hear. I believe they will help you further improve your job.”

Raesh’s ears perked up at the mention of attributes. Mannat told him everything he understood, and every word he spoke made Raesh’s eyes shine.

Finally, after half an hour Mannat stopped talking and Raesh exhaled a large breath of air. It was too much information to learn in a single sitting. Raesh didn’t get all of it but understood the core theory.

“That’s a different train of thought. Scholars have wondered about these things.” He paused, wondering if he should lie, but decided not to confuse the boy with lies. Mannat was a smart boy, too smart for his own good. He would not directly believe him in the first place, and one day when the boy finds the truth, although he might not hate Raesh, the lie would surely break the boy's trust in him.

Raesh clenched his fists and laid bare his thoughts. “If even a little of what the Witch told you is correct then you have profited a lot.”

“Not only me, father,” Mannat said abruptly. “Think about yourself! Haven’t you always wondered how to improve your job? I think you should try to use ‘Inspect’ more. I believe it has more uses than simply inspecting the durability of a forged tool. Why don’t you try to use it at different stages of forging? The skill will definitely not show internal stresses, but it should highlight the surface problems. Perhaps, it is what you need to master blacksmithing? “

“That’s alright, son.” Raesh ruffled Mannat’s hair, his eyes looking far away. “I… am thinking of taking a break from blacksmithing for a while, and help you.”

Mannat grew horrified. His eyes nearly bulged out of the socket from shock. “No, Father!” he screamed in panic. “You can’t do that. Impossible.”

No wonder his father had looked so lost and distant. The man had nearly lost his beloved! How could he possibly not be depressed? He would have fought the world to save her was that option available. Unfortunately, the reality was cruel and it had made him utterly and thoroughly helpless.

Mannat could see his father’s unwillingness but continued unabated. He would not let his father spend his days and nights cooped up in the empty home. “Let’s not forget there is no other blacksmith in the village, but there is no one as good as you in the nearby villages, either. Whether they will help our villagers is a different matter altogether. Moreover, what about the loan you took from the count and the pending order?”

“Don’t think—“

Raesh tried to explain, but Mannat wasn’t listening.

“Not to say you can’t help me” Mannat laid bare. He was ruthless. “Only I can help mother this time.”

Raesh glared at him first and then snorted. “You are still as arrogant as ever.”

“It’s only been a day.”

“Has it? Then I must be getting old.” Raesh smiled. However, Mannat didn’t let him off so easily. His father had the ability to get away from burdensome things. He had seen it happen too many times.

“Father,” Mannat said. “Promise me you won’t stop working.” Mannat knew how much the man loved shaping metal. The heat of the furnace, the sharpness of a blade, the sound that the hammer makes upon impact; he felt pride in being a blacksmith. Mannat had felt it too. He didn’t know what he would say if his father still disagreed. Thankfully, the crease in Raesh’s forehead flattened.

“Alright,” Raesh said dejectedly. “You have changed my mind. I won’t take a break.” He sounded tired and helpless.

“You promise?”

Raesh rubbed Mannat’s forehead and sighed. This boy…

“Yes, my dear son. I promise to keep working in the smithy till the end of time.” Mannat could finally breathe easily, but Raesh wasn’t finished yet. He said, “You also have to promise me something.”

Mannat’s ears perked up.

Raesh continued. “I don’t care what you learn from the Witch, but don’t you dare forget that you are a blacksmith first.”

Mannat’s heart skipped a beat before his eyes glittered and a smile grew on his face as dazzling and hot as furnace fire. He nodded.

“I won’t,” Mannat said.

“Good. Then what’s next?”

Mannat smiled brightly. He got on his knees, grabbed his father’s arm, and said, “Come, let me show you the hand pump.”