I wake up in a fucking lace monster that this world calls a bed. My clothes are still on. My head pounds with my heart as I let out a small whimper of pain feeling the harsh and splitting headache. I open my eyes to see the night sky and my room dark. I force my hands away from my head and sit up. I wish I didn't do that, I feel the headache worsen and I collapse back into the bed, curling up with my head in my hands. I try to wish the pain away like I did with my finger, and my burned hand, but it only makes it worse as I curl up tighter and let out another whimper of terror and pain. Magic is making it worse, why… why? I open my mouth to ask for help but all I can let out is a whimper.

Am I dying? I do not want to die again, it was painful. I was scared. I am scared. I am alone, will anyone come to help? Please?

~~~

“Headmaster. Hero Ivan Mercer is awake and suffering from severe mana withdrawals.”

My name is Porter Marthell. A younger brother to the king. Headmaster of the Stoneweaver collage. And currently dealing with the aftermath of Fata Stele’s hero’s first mana saturation event.

“Send the medical staff in I put on call, but tell them to wait for me.”

“Understood, they are informed.”

I get up from my desk and look over at the training area where Ivan practiced. The sheer heat that the fireball he played with warped the stone till it was something that wasn't stone. The more knowledgeable that come to earth and stone told me that it resembled glass. Mercy gods. What sins have we committed to warrant needing a hero as strong as him... He does not even act like a hero.

I quickly travel the halls of the school utilizing the speed of the wind in a storm to arrive at his door only to hear small sobs and mewling of agony. Poor lad… I remember my first mana withdraw. The first one is always the worse, no resistance to mana.

The medical team arrives carrying a few flask but geared up in strong magic protection warded and runed to protect against heat. I am not willing to lost good men if anything goes wrong. We have no clue what state he might be in and it was dangerous to leave someone to look after him in his sleep. His domain of influence was massive during his practice. It dwarfed the city, the largest city in the nation. He could end this city in a blink of an eye if need be...

“Ready headmaster.” I nod to the medical team. The experts, the ones who are use to proming their duties in a battlefield setting are the ones that I had stay. Good men who fought in battle fields with me. A hero is not one to be underestimated. Especially Ivan. He is a monster... They say that Beast-Kin have so much more vitality than humans. A human would burn alive if they tried practicing like he was. Playing with fire. That odd form of fire. Something is not fitting right.

I open the door and see the room is still intact. That is a good sign.

I walk up to the bed carrying a sleeping tonic. His eyes open and takes a look at us. Pain and fear are all that I see in them. His influence spreads through the room, no the city. I lose my breath as the wave has such pressure to it that I feel my chest pressing in as if rocks are sitting on it.

I, and the others let loose our own influence. It takes the weight off of our chest but I can hear panicked screaming coming from all over the tower as children wake up, suffocating in their beds. I can feel his emotions through his mana, and in them is primal fear, anger, and pain. The emotions of a cornered animal.

He screams and holds his head as the stars on his chest plate light the room till it looks like it is day in the room. I do not see a rational mind behind those eyes, just instincts. A monster is what he is, to work with mana so well with just his instincts. A earth weaver in the group has gathered his mana well enough into the marble. I watch as stone quickly binds his limbs, holding him in place.

We all rush forward. Most of the medical team's influence is now trying to fight and mange his. Fear grows in his mind and the field. The staff working together has managed to contain his influence inside of the room but it feels like running through water at this point. His body flails in the bed, stretching the stone ineffectively. His nails catch air, but the mana tears. In its place his mana fills in the void that he teared clean forging a ball of fire simply hovering in the air.

A wave of scalding runs through us as the ball of fire is fed more and more mana growing it in size and strength. I push myself forward, forming the wind to an arrow shape to piece through his thick mana that is surrounding him. The bed catches on fire making him scream and try to move away but with his limbs held in place by stone he can do nothing as I step closer and closer and more and more of the balls of strange fre are formed by his nails and teeth.

I jump on the bed, on top of him as my robes flutter form the waves of air being pushed by the heat of the fire. I shove the tonic in his open mouth, pulling the glass back and throwing it in a corner as the balls of fire around his mouth heated it till I could no longer hold it.

His screams turn to gargles. He starts coughing and crying, swallowing the liquid. His brown eyes glaze over and the fire that he forged dies in a wave of heart harsh enough to burn everyone in the room even through the magical protection and their own elements. Not harshly, but enough to warrant a cry of pain from the weaker of us. I think 2nd degree burns, nothing a bit with a healer can not fix.

I get up form on top of the monster masquerading as a hero and sit on the side of the bed, focusing my magic on my hands and the front skin that was exposed, waiting for the harsh burns to fade and the skin regrow. It still takes minutes even at my age and skill.

After the self healing, and treatment across the room, a close friend walks up to me with shaking hands.

“Headmaster, what the fuck was that!” My friend Renic is looking me in the eyes. His filled with anger, the high of mana and adrenaline, along with the shock of witnessing a Cat-kin rend the air with nails and teeth. What as that? There is no records of mana, or a hero doing something like that. I should know...

“A hero’s mana withdraws, I think. I think he uses magic like a beast, through instincts. He feared for his life, backed into a corner. That was him struggling, only trying to keep us at bay.” I run my hands through my hair and wince as I feel that I have lost most of it. Burned to shrivels. No one has facial hair anymore or eyebrows. Though we are alive and mostly unharmed. For that I consider it a blessing.

“Porter…” Renic clenches his jaw but all of the stress in his body floods out as he takes a few breaths to calm down. Something any soldier had to learn to make smart moves after a quick skirmish, “Porter...Fuck. We can’t keep him in the city. He can hurt, no kill this nation through an accident.”

I know that Renic, better than you do. But he is a hero. A hero who looks at magic with just unblemished and joyful mind, no matter how much his magic reminds me of a monsters. His mind doesn't hold us back… I want to say this to him but I can not bring myself to speak and look into his eyes. I dare not spoil his mind with warning of instructions, I dare not curb his potential. There is a saying that every hero has a villain his equal. I fear his villain. I fear for my friends, my family, I fear for my granddaughter. Whatever happens I need this man. His utterly wholesome faith in magic, the way he played with a ball of fire so hot that it warped and burned the ground that he stepped on.

The contempt that he held in his gaze that my niece faultured and my nephew feel fear. A princess who trained her entire life to look villains, monsters, and powerful men and women in the face and scuff at them and offer something that helped her. That is not normal for a man. Thank the gods that my study is warded to warp the weight of his influence.

“It does not leave this room. But I think he knows the nature of the stars much more than we do. I looked at what he made and felt small. It took my focus to keep the heat of his flames from burning my study. It did not burn the way fire does. No air was consumed, just heated till it made more and more heat as he played with the ball. I do not know if it is a blessing from the gods or the armour he wears, but he batted it with his hands. I am scared of this boy. I am more scared for my family for what evils are needed for a boy this monstrous to fight.”

I look to all the people in this room. All elders, all powerful in their own right. We could kill him now, or in combat but for how long, I do not know. I fear the carnage that will be in the fight if he has a panic attack mid fight and holds nothing back.

“Yes sir.” They all salute me. Than walk out of the room. The stoneweaver of the group unbinds him, melting the stone back to its previous state. I walk over to the bed and invoke the winds to lift him out of the burnt sheets and hold him in mid air while I change them with some kept in a drawer. Better to think that us binding him and forcing something down his throat was simply a bad dream.

After they are changed, I leave the room, gently closing the door behind me and notice my hands are shaking. I close them together and pray. I pray to every god that I know to keep my family safe through the trials ahead and that monster who lies in the bed was a kind, good man back in his world. I pray to Fata Stele, hoping she choice well and understands the world better than us fragile mortals. Than I walk back to my room to have a small drink and sleep.

That night I dreamed the city a lit in violet flame. No man, woman, or child spared.

I hope, I pray, I beg to the gods it was simply a bad dream.

~~~

As I slept, I dreamed of a night sky. A beautiful girl stroking my hair and playing with my ears. The night sky fell on the girl turning the sky above black and void. The girl kept stroking my hair while crying. Crying for what reason, I am unaware.

I wake up in a fluffy monster trying to suffocate me. I let out a small mrr of displeasure while I pull myself form the bed and look down seeing my clothes still on. I don't remember going to sleep. Last night is all a blur. Once I stand up fully I whimper while putting my hand to my head and wait for the caffeine withdrawal to pass, or the worst part of it. I smack my lips feeling them dry and parched, “Marble?” I hope this works.

“Good morning Hero Ivan Mercer.”

“Can you send water, breakfast… Actually do you have coffee?”

“I am unaware of ‘coffee’. Your meal will arrive shortly.”

“Fuck...Thank you Marble.”

“...You are welcome Hero Ivan Mercer.” That pause was strange. I wonder how artificial Marble really is.

I go sit in a chair and try to wish the pain away once more. I feel the edge of the headache taken off but is still lingers. Hard to heal a fix that body has been conditioned to want and need. A few minutes of laying my head on the desk and resting I hear the door open. I feel one of my ears use a strange muscle to twist towards the door, “Hello Mr. Hero. You're a heavy sleeper aren't you?” I nod as I turn my head to see Syliva walking up to me with a tray of food. I take it from her as she speaks up, “Tell Marble that you are a Cat-Kin next time. The cooks make the food depending on the race you are.” I nod.

“Thank you Syliva...Do you know how I got to this room?” I start to eat slowly. After the first bite I pour the pitcher of water into my mouth and swish it around to wet all the dry areas of my mouth. I of course swallow it as well and let out a small sigh of relief after getting some liquid in me. Of course I need to use the bathroom now, “Also where is the bathroom?”

“You passed out form filling your mind and body with too much mana so I carried you to your room.” She smirks and giggles, “It is there.” She points to a door so I rush to it and take my time to relieve myself. After washing my hands on habit I walk out and see she is still standing there with a playful smile, “Better?”

I nod.

“Come on, I’ll take you to the classroom. Oh! Grandfather told me to warn you about practicing without his supervision or in on of Marble’s special training rooms.”

She starts to skip in the hall and I follow her while letting out a small yawn. I stretch my body and think of what I might be doing today. There is no rush, no need to hunt for food. No need to stress beyond meeting and talking to people but that is something I am adept at suffering through. She guides me through the winding halls for a few minutes.

We arrive outside of the open double doors where I smile at the Headmaster. Just a forced upturn of the lips to try to show some pleasure at seeing him behind his desk. I also spot five other heads. The gold haired twats that was interrupting me while I practiced, a red headed girl, a white haired girl, and a green haired… I can't tell. The view from behind is very androgynous.

“Everyone, since Ivan was so occupied with his mage craft and could no meet you all. I would like you to introduce yourself to him.” I walk into the room and feel anxiety bloom in my chest. I hated show and tell.

Everyone’s head turns. The green haired person hair flips around enough for me to see that there ears are VERY pointed. Elf level of pointy.

They all stand up off of the marble chairs that sink into the floor leaving the room bare and flat once more. The elf, I think, bows, “Greeting Hero of Fata Stele. I am Saga Thornheart. It is wonderful to meet a hero of Fata Stele. She is very engrained to our culture, her hero’s celebrated in it as well.” His voice is light and airy. A stereotypical, and enjoyable elf voice.

The gold haired boy stands up, looking at me with less disgust than last time but stick has a stick so far up his ass that I can see the other end in his mouth when he opens it, “I am Brian Marthell, 2nd prince of the kingdom of Marthell.” I nod and look to the girl version of him, paying him little attention. I do not like uptight jerks with an ego so large that if they tripped, they would suffocate under it.

“I am Mable Marthell! First Princess of Mathell and next in line for the crown.” She sticks her small chest up high in the air turning her nose up at me a bit. Alright, she doesn’t deserve a name as cute as Mable.

I look to the white haired girl. She looks me in the eyes and nods while pulling a piece of ice form… somewhere. Magic, it is amazing to see it displayed so easily, like breathing. Something to be used for something as trivial as spelling out a name. The ice carves itself into a name, “Shio Winter.” I nod to the quiet, or mute girl and look at the redhead, almost expecting her to meld her name in fire like Shio’s oppisite

“I am Catherine Flame, descendant of the hero of fire.”

“The descendant?” I tilt my head as she smiles quite joyfully. Her entire face lights up like a match in a dark room and her body language just screams joy, wonder and happiness.

“Yes! His name was lost to time but is agreed on that he is the most powerful flame magican to ever live! His white flames burned armies, let nothing but ash on the field!” That is very morbid.

But Catherine doesn't seem to either notice or care.

“Alright, Ivan. Today I will be working with you on realizing your limits. No actual magic for the moment. Rest of you can stay and read or run off and do what you like.” The gold haired children get up and walk out of the room while the other three walk over to the miniature library set up on the opposite wall.

Headmaster walks over to the marble area where a set of chairs rise from the ground once more in that silent, beautiful, flowing manner. I sit down on one chair while the headmaster sits on the other, “What did you feel during the end of your practice.”

“My body telling me to stop. More my mind forcing me to…” The headmaster nods with that ever present kind smile on his face.

“Most people do not last as long as yours did. You went for hours just staring at that ball of flame, batting it around and easing ribbons of flames form the surface.” Did I? It did not feel that long...Maybe it did. It blurred, “Most feel their breath taken away once they start to near their limits of mana usage. Some feel light heated. A universal sign is when you feel like you have to command, to force your mana to act. That is a sure sign of your body is being too saturated with mana to safely use any more of it.”

I nod again.

“We will also work on the control over the size of your influence.” I tilt my head.

“The area where you can tell mana to act how you wish it to act. Marble, draw a circle five paces around us.” The marble floor about five feet away rises up, just barely enough to trip anyone very clumsy, “Now Ivan. Visualize a wall around the area Marble rose form the floor. It might take you a few tries.” I nod.

I take a deep breath and feel this time a rolling force like an explosion expand from me. I feel it expand in a bubble equally as tall as wide. It expends far, far pass the nearby marble wall that divides the noble section form the larger commoner area. I bite my lip and realize that I have nowhere to start. Forging a star was like breathing, like moving your arm. It felt natural, nothing to think about. Just a small piece of will to have it start, “This is what we tell children to have them practice expanding their influence. Take a breath, feel your chest expand. Let your field work off of your breathing.” I nod as I focus on breathing. My tail finds its way into my lap so I start to stroke it slowly while I focus on shrinking that small, strange and alien awareness that I have over the city.

I feel it grow more and more intense as it shrinks to the inner wall. I open my eyes to look around. The air has a denseness to it now. Not the level of water, but what I would imagine trying to move through high pressure. I keep on shrinking it as I look outside through a random window that I swore was not there yesterday. Marble can make chairs? Can she change the structure of the building?

I think a hour has passed. It is hard to tell with just how strange and unique playing with magic is. There is very little thought, just feelings and instinct. It is like a form of meditation. The same way gaming is once you know it like the back of your hand...I’ll miss gaming.

The concept of time blurs. It is strange to explain when you are just sitting in a room with nothing moving, no clocks to judge time, just the other students reading and taking looks up at me and the Headmaster. The denser this area of awareness grows denser, the focus and effort needed to push it into the five foot area around myself grows harder.

At some point I have closed my eyes. I open them to see the Headmaster out of the rised circle in the ground. My influence actually has been reined into the small, small area of five feet. Once I got it in place, it takes a small bit of effort to keep it in place at this rate of compression, “What now, headmaster?” I tilt my head looking at him.

It is actually darker inside the circle. Near the center of it, it looks like looking through a very harshly tinted window. The headmaster is sitting down, breathing heavy. I wonder if he is ok. I look back to the other students to see them slumped over in their chair, “Ivan, they are alright.” I guess the panic showed on my face, “Medical team. Headmaster’s study room. Mana pressure sickness.”

The strange thing is his voice sounds… weird. A tad bit deeper. I move my arm inside of the thick field that I have, just a small and slow swing of my arm working off an impulse. I watch as whatever this stuff is swirls around the movements of my arm, my chest rising and lowering also makes currents in this calming soup of things.

I feel my body relax as I start to chuckle. I reach out in front of me and scratch a piece of the thick mana, making a harsh imbalance in the equilibrium of this fluid like substance that I can breathe and talk in. So strange. I hear the medical team come in as I watch the gas or liquid flow back into the spot, overpressuring it for just a movement. I watch as it ignites and forms a small star of the free floating mana. It must be mana.

Nothing but mana can be this strange, this illogical but still exist and be wonderful. So uplifting to play with, so...Magical. I reach out and scratch another patch of mana to form a void and watch it fill once more. The higher pressure in the star is held in place by its own bit of localized gravity. This, and the heat starts pushing mana around in the small bubble of mine. I watch as some areas randomly grow dense enough to form another star. More and more of them.

This goes on for… I do not know. I lost my sense of time. Long enough for the others to wake up and sit down and just watch, writing or taking notes. Good, I and these stars are beautiful. We are meant to be look at and envied. Come close and you will only be burnt to ash. That is a promise. I do not break my promises.

Soon, the mana is alight with the glow of dozens little, pinkie sized stars in arms reach of my body. The stars grow, sucking bits of mana in their gravity well, “Marble. A chair please.”

When did I stand up? “I am sorry Hero Ivan, the temperature around you is too intense to properly, and safely enact the runes under the floor.”

Is it? I just feel warm. Like that feeling of getting in a perfectly heated bath and everything just loosening. Your mind letting worries and stress fade. Your body relaxing and telling you that everything is alright, that you are in a good place. You close your eyes and relax. I take a deep breath and push in random areas in this little bubble of my mana. Suddenly dozens stars blink into life, all different sizes but still growing. I push the mana along and feel my vision blur for a moment as I stumble and fall back, right on my ass. I-I should stop… Why? Why? The pain. I look to the headmaster, “H-Headmaster...W-what do I do now?”

The other students are awake and staring at me with different emotions on their face. The elf, wonder. The white haired girl, caution and fear. The fire headed girl is staring at me with shock and envy. All standing on the other side of the room, “Just close your eyes. Do not think of magic. Your influence will retreat back into you till you need it once more.” I close my eyes and feel nausea take over my body. I feel like I am falling but I try to let go of my control over it. I try to coax that instinct to take it over once more like I did in Light’s office. But wasnt that the orb? I-I passed out the last time. I have never truly made it go away on my own power.

I bite my lip and open my eyes to look at the stars. I bask in the warmth of the star’s, of my power, of Fata Stele’s embrace. The world should know it… This gentle and warm embrace. But I have to step away don't I? T-Till I am strong enough to have it forever.

I force myself to my feet and unsteady sway out of the circle, growing colder and alone. I linger on the edge, but with a burst of will I am not sure I can do again, I step out of the circle and watch as the stars die. Not with an explosion but they shrink in on themselfs, sucking all the mana that was mine into nothing. Black holes… I let out a gasp as I stumble and fall as I feel my body refilled with the mana. Once the cloud becomes as transparent as air, the little holes of nothing die as well. But in their place is a small wave of my mana that lingers, than fades.

“What in the hell’s…” I look to the Headmaster. He looks paler than normal.

“Marble… Can you make me a seat?” I quietly ask whatever entity that controls the stone.

“Please sit down, Hero Ivan.” I nod as I sit down on the stone. I feel it lift me up in a chair that curves with my body, leaving with a comfortable seat even if it is made out of stone. I sink into it and lift a hand up to my forehead to wipe the bit of sweat forming form some form of exhaustion. If my body is getting tired like this, it means it is using energy...Fat stores? It’s not impossible...But do they have the energy to supply that much… change? I do not know. I’m a bit tired, but not like yesterday. Did I stop at a good time?

I take another glance around to see the fire headed girl walking over to me with some expression I do not know. It took many years of people watching to actually learn what most of them were, “Who are you! That is something no starting hero can do!” I tilt my head at her.

“First you made us pass out form just how sudden your influence grew in weight! I thought I was going to suffocate in it! Than what did you do with tearing… Or whatever you did to make those balls of fire! I know everything there is to know about fire, and that was not fire!”

“I am sorry. I am new to magic, I didn't mean you any harm. I lose sense of time and most my awareness. It is called plasma, it is what stars are made up of. It is hotter than fire, usually, also more dangerous.” I let out a yawn and sink into the chair, tilting my head up. This world has made me talk more than I ever did at my old one. I could get by with pointing, certain faces, and effectiveness.

This seems to make her...Upset I think. Hard to tell with all the facial expressions that she is going through. She quickly walks out of the room so I rise my eyebrow at other classmates. The elf smiles widely, “She is probably going to get something hard to set on fire, to test your statement. It took her a bit to learn that lighting can set wood and grass on fire in the right setting.” I nod and close my eyes.

Whatever the black holes did...They only interacted with mana. Didn't they? They only interacted with my mana. Can my mana not interact with the mana in the air? I think Headmaster said something about us taking some mana in our body form the air right? Maybe… I could actually make a black hole with enough pressure? I could be unstoppable. Dragons would bow, men would be crushed by my mere presence. Any hero come to try to stop me, I would strip their mana from them. Maybe…

“Snow hair, can you make me some ice? Just something small…” I feel… something wash over me. Weaker than mine but stops perfectly at my hand where some ice manifest. Am I more sensitive to it now? Not with just instincts but with an awake awareness?

I bring the ice up to my mouth and start to chew on it, letting out a sigh as the coldness just… feels nice. Like a cold cup of water right after a hot bath, were you are thirsty and sweaty and overheated. Maybe I am overheated? I do not know. I do not know a lot sadly.

I do not know why the mana hi- Oh, my hands are shaking. My entire body is shaking. Maybe my mind is numb, too calm or uncaring. Maybe tha- My hands are hard to move. I let out a chuckle as I shakely bring my hands up to my face and smile widely. I feel alive. Why am I filled with adrenaline? Magic is strange. So strange. I close my eyes, feeling my body tilted so I am laying on a flat piece of marble. I fall asleep, exhausted