"Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God."

George Washington Carver

Nathair laid in bed staring at the ceiling. It wasn’t long before he had an answer to his question.

Nathair, several instances of exposure to low levels of a high energy source. Reading, 50% similar to magic energy experienced in utero.

That was not a high percentage. Was it enough to trigger SENA’s fusion process?

SENA, was the energy responsible for your activation?

Information is inconclusive. 78% chances of having an effect. More data necessary for a conclusive answer.

He knew he needed more information. It was simply that he did not have a way to get it at the moment. Even then, he might not get a satisfactory answer. Magic was used as a catch-all term to explain away every phenomenon.

The study of science was not very advanced. It was not a priority. Nathair, of all people, knew how expensive research was. The people who could fund that research would prioritize magic over science.

It was redundant. The study of science could only help to further the understanding of magic. He would need to see for himself how the two intersected. He did not have any hope of changing how the mind of an entire society operated.

He needed to get into a magic school, but first, he needed to manifest. The help of his parents was essential.

Argus’s words gave the impression that he had a way to get Nathair into a magic school. It should not be the route that commoners took. No matter which institution you were in, status as well as achievements mattered.

Those who did not know how to read or write would be at a disadvantage. They would be further impeded when it came to knowledge and practical experience. The children of nobles would have been given a magic tutor and would not be learning from scratch.

It was an effective way to keep the status and class difference between the two. No extra work would be needed since the starting points were different.

Could the energy source add to his advantage? He would need to investigate it.

SENA, how many times did I come in contact with the source?

You had 12 instances of contact. Duration lasted anywhere from ten minutes to an hour.

How could he be exposed to something like that and not know? It made sense since SENA would not have been active and couldn’t give him a warning. Would the energy source register as something dangerous?

SENA, Where did exposure take place?

Specific coordinates are unknown. Location, edge of the forest, prohibited area.

Why did it have to be there?

That area was dangerous. He started avoiding it. It wasn’t in his nature to take pointless risks. While that area didn’t often have animals wandering around, it was still a part of a forest that contained vicious animals.

He could guess the times when the original was affected. That area was commonly used in punishment games and dares. Nathair wasn’t too smart until this point. Was usually on the losing end of those games.

SENA, show me an image.

The image popped into his head. There was a characteristic tree stump. You were expected to sit there until the duration of your turn or punishment was up.

That area couldn’t be too dangerous since the adults knew they played there and didn’t stop them. The important part was deeper inside. There had to be something there. SENA said he had been exposed to low levels.

What caused the fusion process was the dregs of the energy source. This was shocking. The most advanced energy sources and technology were used to build and activate SENA. That meant that magic outstripped everything that his world had achieved through science.

His father would kill him if he knew that he ventured deep into the forest. He also had to consider the animals in there. They would eat him before he could find the energy source.

His exploration of the forest would have to be put off. It was still his best bet to get Argus to infuse him with mana. As a backup, he would need to spend at least an hour a day near that location.

To be on the safe side, he would use SENA to find the safest locations, where the radication was highest.

This would have to be planned carefully. He rarely had time to himself. He would have to bring his siblings with him. This would likely trigger their own Manifestations.

Nathair would have to find out what age it was best to start at and if being infused with mana too early had any side effects.

He was willing to risk experimenting on himself, but he would not take the chance with Oran and Aneira. If they could not come with him, he would have to negotiate for time alone from his parents or make a deal with the kids they played with. Oran was fine.

Aneira was at the age where she needed constant supervision. She also wouldn’t be able to keep a secret. He had long learned that a piece of candy apple was all it took for his little sister to sell him out.

Making a million plans, he drifted off to sleep.

Nathair got up early.

The voices of his parents were the first thing he heard. The alarm he set using SENA had woken him up at a little four in the morning. This was two hours before he usually got up to do his chores.

He would need to strike early if he wanted time with his father.

Not wasting any time, he jumped out of bed and stumbled out of the room. Argus looked up as he came out. Nathair found the look of panic on his father’s face hilarious.

They must have been expecting him.

“Dad,” he called, his voice milky. He flinched at the needling tone he used.

“Go back to sleep,” Argus called.

Rubbing at his eyes, he pulled on his outdoor shoes. “That’s fine. I want to talk to you.”

Argus and Sophia shared a look. “That was what I was worried about,” he said. Argus rubbed the back of his neck.

“Can this wait?” Sophia tried to mediate. Her face was pulled into a frown, unable to hide how conflicted she was.

Under normal circumstances, Nathair might have pulled back at this point. He had spent so much time being careful of raising suspicion. Yet, he didn’t do that. The knowledge he could gain from pressing forward was much more important.

“I won’t push if there is anything you don’t want to answer.” That was as far as Nathair was willing to compromise. If he stepped back further, he might never get answers.

It was unlikely that his parents did not want to pass down magic to him and his siblings. Then it would have to be their reluctance to get involved with noble circles. He did not understand this.

Things like nobility were foreign to him. Those titles were decorative placeholders in the democratic world he originated from. What he knew was the more benefits you gained from a position, the more you had to do and pay for.

There was no such thing as a free meal.

“A small talk?” He pleaded with his father. He turned his eyes on his mother. His mother would be his strongest supporter.

Since birth was thought to have a lot to do with Manifestation, his mother was likely to be stronger. If that was true, she was the person who would be transfusing him with mana.

He didn’t know what their conversation would lead to, but he would do his best to get the answer he wanted.

If he couldn’t, he would take the chance to investigate the power in the woods. He wasn’t in a rush.

“Let the boy come.” Argus leaned over, kissing Sophia.

Nathair looked away. He found it hard to believe that his parents considered breaking up and marrying other people. They were always disgustingly sweet and intimate.

It showed how strong the effect of socialization was on a person. Both would have followed the duty set by their parents if he wasn’t conceived.

Pleased with his father’s words, he received a kiss on the head from his mother and followed him out into the cold morning.

“What do you want to ask?” Argus moved briskly. “I thought you ran out of questions last night.”

Nathair did a little jog to keep up with his father’s pace. He remembered being dragged out of the room before he could ask more questions. He didn’t bring it up, swallowing his grievances.

“I slept and thought of more things that I wanted to ask.” The chickens wouldn’t be up yet. After he got the answers he wanted, he would go back to sleep for a while. “At what age do you need to infuse mana? Is there a limit?”

That was his main concern. He wanted to see what effect going to the woods would have.

Argus stopped, giving him a deep look. He nodded his head in approval. “There isn’t an age or an amount. Mana can be infused at any rate or any age. It is usually based on the person during the infusions capability.”

He didn’t know what he had done right, but his father’s tone was gentle when he answered.

Nathair was relieved. Going to the forest with his siblings would not affect them. He would ask around the village about other people who frequented the area.

If that energy source acted how he thought, there would be a few people from the village of Cur that Manifested.

Argus continued speaking. “After mana is infused, it can take a while for the person to Manifest. Since my bloodline was weak, I received the necessary amount of mana over a year when I was three. It took me eight years before I Manifested. Your mother received her infusion when she was seven and Manifested in a month. More mana is always best.”