Talo found himself in a white space yet again. Am I going to meet with a god again? No, there are differences. There’s a down. I’m not in pain. And... what’s that blue light over there?

Talo found that merely by willing it, he began to approach a blue wall. Then he crashed through it. I’m flying. I have wings! Talo looked over his body and indeed found that he had rainbow colored wings. His whole body was translucent but emitted a vibrant medley of color.

This is awesome! I’ve always wanted to fly. Oh look, a forest. Talo swooped down into the trees. He glided between them merrily. The trees really give perspective to how fast I’m moving. Ohh... those berries look delicious. I must try them. Talo then perched on a tree near a bush and greedily ate the bright blue berries.

He noticed other birds approaching. They too were translucent, but all had unique markings. They are much bigger than I am. Perhaps I am small enough that they will not notice. Suddenly he heard the most beautiful call. That one, in the middle! It’s the same size as me. He cried out in joy. Is that my voice? My call is wonderful.

Feeling freed, Talo began to sing. He felt a great longing, for knowledge, for justice, for comfort, and most of all, for love. He felt he could sing it all towards the other bird. The other bird noticed him in his song. She flew to him and took a perch next to him. I don’t know how I know I that she’s female, but somehow I know. How do birds interact? Talo hoped he would receive some instinct in courtship. Unfortunately none came, and other bird began to chirp at him. I guess I’ll have to wing it from what I know of Earth.

He broke off a branch full a berries. Next, he turned and offered it to the beauty beside him. She tweeted happily and began devouring the berries he offered. At this, some of the larger birds began to take notice. They circled the pair, calling alarmingly. Finally, the largest bird, with a bright fiery red coloration, dove down and struck Talo in the head.

Then there was darkness. Deep profound darkness. Talo struggled to feel alert. He felt stuck in some stage between consciousness and nothingness.

“Yo, rdsghdsssss….” Darkness.

“Hey, bosuasdnhsssss” Still, darkness.

“Oi, runt are you awake yet?” Powaw’s voice finally came through. Talo struggled to open his eyes. He was in the stream that encircled the training garden.

“There you go. Dip down and take a big drink.” Powaw sounded like he was doing his best not to be annoyed.

“Won’t drinking stream water make me sick?” Talo’s mind rapidly became alert.

“What? No. That’s great water. It’s full of water spirits, and you’re going to need them.” Talo wasn’t in a position to argue. He plunged his face in the water, shook his head around, and drank deeply.

Huh...I do feel better, he thought.

“You exhausted your mana. Did you gain insight from the gandari? Can you call upon their mana?”

“I have no idea what you mean. It felt like I had been thrust into a bird’s body. I remember the joy of flying, the great banquet of the bushes, and the courtship of the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

“Courtship, hmmm? No matter. Can you feel the mana around you?”

“Yes, especially in the water.”

“Good. Sit up. Try to bring it into your mana-well.” It was at this point that Talo noticed Powaw’s eyes glowed with golden energy. He couldn’t see the irises in Powaw’s eyes, just a crackling golden mist.

Talo sat, and imagined the mana coming to him, entering his pores, circulating in his blood, and then diffusing around his gut. The mana, however, didn’t want to come. He struggled to pull it to his skin, but it moved no further.

Then he felt a different mana in the water. It was discrete, separate from the flowing stream. He tugged on it and it responded readily.

“That’s enough. Get out of the water, and try it again.”

Frustrated, Talo complied. He crawled out of the stream and sat along the bank. He could feel the grass’s mana, he could feel the different flavors along the dirt and rocks, but none of them responded easily to his will. The mana from the grass was easier to grip, but he felt something else pulling harder than he was. He felt as though he was tugging with all his might just to bring the mana next to him.

“Calm down, don’t give yourself an aneurysm. Here,” Powaw placed the bowl of blood in front of him. “Put your hands in the blood, and see if you can draw mana from there.”

Again, Talo was reluctant to put his hands into blood, but considering there might be a chance to meet that female bird again, he thrust both his palms to the bottom of the bowl.

“I can feel...so much mana here!” Talo was elated. The mana flowed into him easily from his hands. It required so little effort, that once it started, it continued to flow passively. More effort was required once most of the mana had been absorbed. It’s like trying to get the last bit of a milkshake. Talo sucked the last bit of mana with glee. He examined his hands. The blood had separated with a yellow oily layer on top.

“With the mana gone, the blood begins to break down quickly. How do you feel?”

“Good. I don’t feel full like after a big meal, but I feel content. Like I’ve just had a nice dessert.”

“Then it is as I’ve feared.” Powaw blinked, and his eyes returned to normal. He shook his head sadly. “You have a large mana well, especially for your age, but it’s not absurd. It’s still smaller than your mother’s for example. You have plenty of magical sense, because you can find the mana around you to pull on. The problem is... how completely formed you are in orenda.”

Powaw moved over to a red rock and motioned for Talo to join him.

“Most mana-wells are like artesian wells. An artesian well fills as water flows into them from the bottom. The water comes from the surrounding area and is trapped by the well that men dug and sealed. In the same way, we cultivate our personal mana wells. Through meditation and practice, we dig down into our spirits to reach the mana. Through use and mental constructions, we line and strengthen the walls to hold in the mana.”

“But how am I different? I can feel the mana, but it won’t come in. Doesn’t that mean that I just need to meditate to dig deeper?”

“That may help eventually, but that’s probably not the wisest choice. Your problem is that your mana well is more like a mana cistern. You are sealed so tightly, that mana in the surroundings cannot get in. Conversely, I suspect we will have little problem with mana leaking out. Whether or not that translates to difficulty in drawing on your mana is yet to be seen. You do not excel at moving mana around your body, which is quite normal for beginners.”

“But is it normal for three-year-olds? Maybe my problems are due to age? I’m still lacking in knowledge on how this integrates into my autonomy.”

“That is a field of ongoing research. Perhaps you would do well to advance the field. None of this is quite normal for a three-year-old, but then again, you normally can’t get a three-year-old to sit long enough to try.”

“But what about the mana in the blood? Or the mana I felt in the stream?”

“That was spirit mana. It belonged to a being. In the case of the water, it was a water spirit. If you had taken it all, the way that you did with the blood, you would have killed the spirit. That particular one probably wouldn’t have fought you over it, but many would.” Powaw began to stroke his beard as he considered Talo’s case.

“This could also explain your milk craze. Your mother’s milk contained her spirit mana. Orenda is the mana that is contained to beings. It is structured differently from elemental magic. Most importantly, it always belongs to something. Now, do you see the problem?”

“I can only get mana by taking it from others.”