Sivelle watched Atell with interest, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

The boy’s movements were stiff and faltering as he moved carefully through the revised exercises she’d prepared while simultaneously guiding the flow of Mana inside his body. Truly, his patience was impressive. It had been three days since their first round of practice and he hadn’t yet gone off on his own to try and activate his Origin Rune, or even asked about it. Most of the hotblooded youngsters his age wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation.

Admittedly, she also greatly desired to learn about Atell’s abilities. Among the Ancestral Races — the bloodline magic of the Demons had always been the most profound, and now she had the opportunity to observe the advent of a Primo, no less.

However, physical reinforcement couldn’t be ignored. Even more so in Atell’s case considering how powerful the boy’s body had already become through the few years tempering leading up to his ceremony.

As a Mundane, the child already had the strength to hold off an adult Jade Mountain Lion. With the addition of Mana, he could probably toss the beast around like a sack of meat.

Sivelle’s gazed into the horizon with unfocused eyes as she continued to consider future possibilities. She hated to admit it, but Elaina was right when she said the boy was a perfect Vanguard.

“Um, Sivelle?”

Atell’s trepid question refocused her attention. “...Yes?” She replied.

“I felt something strange when I was going through the routine…”

***

Sivelle had an almost maniacal grin plastered on her face as Atell brought up the weird sensation he’d experienced while practicing earlier.

It wasn’t the first time he’d seen her make such a demented expression, but it usually only occured when she was experimenting with a new recipe in the greenhouse.

He smiled awkwardly as she urged him to explain in more detail.

“...I was starting to get a better feel for moving around while diverting some of my attention to guiding the Mana. Then, all of a sudden… another energy started to invade my body from the outside.”

“Was it painful? Uncomfortable in any way?” Sivelle interrupted hastily. She was still smiling, so it didn’t seem like she was truly worried.

“No, not all. It worked peacefully with my Mana, saturating my body and washing away my fatigue. And I think… I’ve felt it before.”

“I do believe you have. That foreign energy you felt should be raw Origin Energy.”

“What!? Didn’t you just say the other day that our bodies are incompatible with Origin Energy and that's why we have to convert it into Mana?”

“I did, but don’t worry — you’re not in any danger. From what I’ve seen, you’ve been using Origin Energy to temper your body ever since you arrived here, likely before that too.” Sivelle chuckled.

“Really? Why didn’t you say anything!?” Atell was incensed.

“I was worried that if I told you, you would become too conscious of the effect, hindering it from working naturally.”

Sivelle’s words didn’t do much to assuage Atell’s frustration. “Well, it’s a good thing, right? But why am I only noticing it now?”

“A very good thing,” Sivelle affirmed. “I think you are noticing it now because your awareness and attunement with Origin Energy is much greater than it has been previously. The reason it has only just occurred, and not the previous days, is because it seems that you need to enter a more assured, or selfless state of mind in order to subconsciously draw in the Origin Energy.”

Atell paced back and forth, considering the Fae’s explanation. Suddenly, an old memory appeared in his mind.

He was standing in the open field outside the mine’s entrance, arms spread wide as he soaked up the sun. A warm current of energy entered his body, but its presence was elusive, fleeing as soon as he attempted to grasp it. Since then, he’d placed that memory in the back of his mind, waiting passively for the sensation to appear again... So much time had passed since then that he’d nearly forgotten altogether.

Today, it would seem that he had finally noticed its return. Earlier, as soon as his consciousness had lapsed into a state of total concentration, he had felt the surge of Origin Energy in the surroundings. Atell observed carefully as it was absorbed by his muscles, skin, and bones, expelling the waste and filth accumulated inside his body. After a while, he tentatively reached out to it. The energy didn’t pay any mind to his probing on this occasion, but neither did it respond as his Mana did. Bewildered by the process, Atell had decided to approach Sivelle.

Now, he was left with more questions than answers.

“Is there a limit to how much it can temper my body?”

“I… believe so,” Sivelle replied, but she didn’t look too assured. “If my assumptions are correct, then you are slowly acclimating your body with raw Origin Energy, much like how the Fae harmonize with the elements.”

Noticing his blank look, Sivelle sighed and continued her explanation. “Unlike the Demons, the Fae do not awaken any bloodlines before our Initiate Ceremony. Instead, we travel to locations with high concentrations of particular elements in order to harmonize with them.”

“How does the harmonization process work?” Atell’s interest was piqued. He knew so little of the magic of the other races.

“All Fae are born with an affinity for certain elements. For example, mine are water and wind.” Sivelle paused to consider her next words. “Let me backtrack a bit. When I refer to ‘raw’ Origin Energy, it is more accurate to say that it is simply unrefined. Origin Energy in the atmosphere will have different elemental attunements based on the environment. In hot places, it’s attunement will lean heavily towards the fire element; by the sea — the water element, and so on. You get the idea.”

Atell nodded. That was news to him, but it made perfect sense. Sivelle continued, “For Fae, in order to form our Origin Rune, our natural elemental affinities much reach a certain level. Otherwise, much like Demons who don’t awaken their bloodlines, Fae who haven’t harmonized will not receive an Origin Rune during their Initiate Ceremony.”

“Woah… so where did you go to harmonize?”

Sivelle’s gaze turned north, her eyes clouding over. “I traveled with my father past the Hinterlands, all the way to the Frozen Expanse. There, I climbed the highest mountain peak in sight, becoming one with the wind and snow.”

Atell followed her gaze, soaking up the brief silence. He thought the ritual of the Fae sounded much cooler than the Demon’s bloodline trials. Much less dangerous as well…

“Then, does that mean I’ve been harmonizing with the elements all this time as well?” He eventually asked.

“No.” Sivelle laughed. “Fae have special Elemental Roots in our body that allow us to do so. This phenomenon of yours is strange, something I’ve never heard of before. I only know that it is tempering your body because I can see the impurities being expelled. Otherwise… I’m not certain what the benefits will be.”

Atell’s stomach churned with unease despite Sivelle’s assurances. He didn’t share her optimism. There was too little he knew. And as a Primo, he would have to pave his own path forward...

***

“Today, we will take the long-awaited next step. It is time to activate your Origin Rune.” Sivelle declared without much enthusiasm.

Atell’s heart skipped a beat. Two long weeks he had waited for this day. The monotony of exercising his Mana control seemingly every waking hour had been wearing him down. He had even almost suggested returning to work in the greenhouse during the afternoons in order to break up the schedule somewhat.

The tedium was also exacerbated by the fact that he was still anxiously awaiting the arrival of his uncle. It had been nearly a week and a half since Sivelle’s Tracer had returned with Tenshi’s reply. Even if the tribe had moved a distance away from Stormpeak, it shouldn’t take this long for the man to arrive…

‘Agh—!’ Atell berated himself mentally, something he’d been doing a lot recently. He was still letting his worries weigh him down too much, his anxiousness sending him spiraling into a dark and cyclical state of mind. It was best to focus all his efforts on improving himself for the time being.

“Alright, I’m ready.” Atell adjusted his stance and set his mouth in a line. It seemed like even Helios himself was excited for this event as scorching waves of sunlight warmed Atell’s skin.

This morning’s conditions were ideal. He was well-rested, full of energy and there wasn’t a cloud to be seen in the sky. Atell closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath as Sivelle launched into her explanation.

“Ok. Nothing too complicated here. Just gather your Mana and slowly feed it into your Origin Rune. But be warned… the runes are greedy. If you aren’t careful, you’ll quickly overdraw your Mana and you know the consequences of that.”

Atell cringed. A few days prior he had completely exhausted his Mana Pool during a lapse in concentration and started fueling his body with Lifeforce despite Sivelle’s many warnings. After all, even a minor incident such as that could shave weeks or even seasons off a practitioner’s lifespan.

Resolving himself to act with more vigilance, Atell’s mind flashed into his Mana Heart. Weeks of practice had led up to this, and he was more than ready. He stirred the pool of golden essence with ease, confidence surging as he funneled it towards the strange symbol floating just below the surface.

As soon as his Mana made contact, a burst of intense heat exploded out his core. It rolled out like a wave, filling him with boundless pride and vigor... until he was abruptly overwhelmed by the flood of new sensations, resulting in a bout of nausea much like when he had spilled his guts after his Initiate Ceremony.

“Hoo—” Atell’s breath hitched and his eyes opened wide as almost half of his Mana was devoured in those few brief moments. He quickly cut off the connection to the rune, a chill creeping down his spine.

Sivelle stood across from him, frowning as she grumbled something about pyromaniacs her property. “Well, that didn’t go too poorly,” she announced after airing her grievances.

Atell scratched at his mess of hair, smiling awkwardly as he looked at the circle of scorched earth surrounding him.

“Now that you’ve learned your lesson, do it properly this time. Slowly, and I mean slowly, guide a trickle of Mana into your Origin Rune. Then, as the Mana flows outward, do your best to adjust its output and intensity. When it comes to finer means of manipulation… all I can say is to trust your instincts.”

Atell grunted his affirmation and returned to his Mana Heart. Just then, he had underestimated the amount of Mana the Rune could absorb at once. Even if it was his entire Mana Pool, he guessed the Rune could devour it in an instant.

Therefore, Atell proceeded to stretch out his remaining Mana into a slender line, coiling it around the Rune within the confines of the Pool. Mana was surprisingly malleable, but it was difficult to get it to retain its shape, almost like it was runny clay. His concentration spread thin, Atell slowly pushed the trickle of Mana towards the Rune.

Heat rippled forth from his body once more, but it didn’t explode with the same ferocity as it did previously. If last time it was like the surging tide, now it was a gentle current. Atell furrowed his brow, constantly making minor adjustments to the flow entering his Origin Rune.

More Mana at once yielded a higher temperature, whereas increasing the speed at which the Rune was fed — increased the frequency of the rippling waves. Unfortunately, the round of testing only lasted a few minutes before only a vestige of Mana remained.

Atell opened his eyes, unable to resist the cheesy grin spreading across his face.

Sivelle looked back at him, rubbing her chin as she appraised his efforts. “That was pretty good. For the time being, you’ll have to keep working on that, tuning the flow of Mana until you find the right balance.”

“Sivelle… do you have any more of those blue potions? I’m pretty much out of Mana, so I can’t really keep practicing right now.”

“Nope. That was a one time deal unless you have the money to pay for them yourself.”

“Well, uh… how expensive are they?”

“Around 50-70 Drel.” Sivelle replied rubbing hands together.

Atell frowned. He only had a few Drel left after purchasing the Origin Crystal for his ceremony. On top of that, it had taken him almost an entire year to earn the 80 Drel that went into that purchase.

But how was he supposed to improve now, if he could only practice minutes a few minutes a day? It usually took an entire night of rest to replenish his Mana Pool…

“I… don’t have that much. Is there anything I can do to help my Mana return faster?”

Sivelle smirked. “Lucky for you, I’ve got something even better. Make yourself some lunch then meet me in the stu….”

Atell didn’t give her the chance to finish as he immediately dashed inside, fetching a Charge Crystal to heat up the stove.

***

“Imm rmdy!” Atell shouted as he barged through the heavy door, his mouth still stuffed with bread.

“That was quick,” Sivelle chuckled. She stood leaning over her desk, various open scrolls scattered across its surface.

“What are these?” Atell asked as he approached, leaning over to take a look at the various diagrams and dense passages on the parchment. Although, he soon found himself disinterested. Too many words that he couldn’t recognize. Tenshi had tried teaching him how to read once or twice, but the texts at their disposal were severely limited, leading to a paltry understanding at best. Reading was best left to scholars anyway.

“Meditation manuals,” Sivelle replied, still sorting through the documents.

“Hmm?”

“Techniques that will not only allow you to replenish your Mana, but even allow you to expand your Mana Pool.”

“What!” Atell quickly took another look.

“Ho? Glad that finally got you interested. Meditation techniques are every practitioner’s most important tool as I’m sure you can now understand. Accumulating Mana is how every member of the Ancestral races grows in power and expands the capabilities of their Origin Rune.”

Atell was practically hopping up and down, barely able to contain his excitement. “Well? How do I do it?”

“First, I need to find a technique that is suited to the attributes of your Mana. I don’t have a testing device on hand, but if I had to wager a guess... I’d say you are primarily attuned to the light element, with a secondary affinity with fire.”

“How can you tell?”

“Experience, feeling your magic… and your eyes.”

“...Eyes?”

“Indeed. The elements often manifest themselves in certain colors when converted into Mana. And it is well known that a practitioner’s eyes reflect the color of their Mana Pool. Anyway, I think I’ve got one here that should suit you.” Sivelle held up a thin booklet. “Got this manual from an old Karth Warband living out in the Sanguine Desert in the Human territories. I think they worshipped some sun deity or another…”

“You took it from them?”

“Course not. This is a copy of the original. I received it as payment for a job I completed for them. I didn’t value coin much back in the day, so I often traded my services for techniques and information instead.”

Atell received the manual and took a moment to run his fingers across the worn leather surface of the booklet. Despite being covered in a layer of dust, it still felt warm to the touch. He flipped it open and thumbed through the pages covered in indecipherable symbols.

“This doesn’t look like Common,” Atell muttered to himself.

Sivelle snatched the manual back out of his hands. “Astute observation,” she remarked sarcastically. “This is written in Old Turic — the ancestral language of the Karth.” Sivelle sighed. “I think we’re going to have to start back up those evening lessons, kid. You may not believe it now, but knowledge is just as valuable as power for practitioners.”

“Nooo…” Atell groaned.

“Get over it. I’ll translate the technique for you this time, but in the future, you’ll be on your own, so you better wizen up.”

“...Fine.”

“Good. Now settle yourself into a comfortable position and we’ll get started…”