Waking up alone as usual, my mouth tasted like an elldro's ass, a creature that made its home in the sewers of large cities. With nothing better to do, I continued my endless walk toward who knows where, tracking down civilization has been a bust on all fronts. The vast grassland has yet to cease with days upon days of walking. Who knew there could be so much grass? Every step I took reaped a toll on my already fragile body. To be honest, I'm surprised the stagnant green pools of murky water I drink from hasn't killed me already.

To pass the time, I've tried reproducing the explosion that killed the bandits, but absolutely zero luck has headed my way. Nothing was there when I reached deep inside mentally, but I don't have any formal training so my process might be wrong. I thought I might have awakened as a mage, however, I've been told it's impossible to not know if you are one. Maybe I am, and I'm just too stupid to realize it.

Lets just review the basics, or at least what I think are the basics. Everybody knows that mana is nothing new. It's everywhere and every creature on the plane can use it, even I have lit a few mana candles before. The difference between a normal person and a mage was that while everybody could manipulate mana, mages could produce it. Once one could produce mana, it becomes thick enough for devastating battle applications. This means that all mages are living breathing weapons, capable of the pew pew. Pretty simple right?

Pushing with all my might, I visualized myself creating mana, but the only thing that comes out was from my rear end. Quite disgusted at myself, I took a break and searched for something to eat. Teased by chirping birds, hungry me bumbled around into a great forest until I stumbled upon some wild mushrooms, the only thing remotely edible in sight. These could possibly kill me, but then again, I don't really have much else going for me.

To be honest, munching on shrooms isn't that bad. They taste a bit bitter and mushy, but i've had worse. Keeping an eye out for more delectables, I shuffled forward and things started shifting. Attempting to keep grounded, my arms reached out for anything stable. The trees moved in disturbingly human ways to counter, tipping my balance. Green, so much green. Randomly, I decided to look up, a direction as good as any. Herds of fluffy clouds came down to greet me, snuggling close for affection. As if nurturing my body, im hugged on all sides by the pillows of white. I laid there for a while just embracing my existence, a nice change from the constant crippling depression, something I've longed to get rid of. After what seemed like a lifetime, I feel like I'm being dragged on the floor. Roots wrapped around my legs as I am being lead into the cosmos...

"Snap to it. I don't like waiting."

What?

*Splash*

Out of nowhere, a chilling blast of water broke me from my warm trance, melting my bed of clouds. Fuck. I want to go back! Please let me go back!

While still lying on the damp cold ground, I finally got around to see who was speaking. With long ears twitching at the slightest bit of sound, her toned carved abs popped out like a cast iron mold. She also has several scars, which have long since healed, randomly lashed throughout her outstretched arms. Silver hair cascaded down her shoulders around a green skin tight tunic. A simple but thick bow hung from her back along with a brown tanned leather quiver full of feathered tailed arrows.

If I had a wilder imagination, I probably would have gotten a decent rise just looking at her, but her cold penetrating eyes put an end to any frivolous thoughts.

"Hi?" I respond hesitantly.

*Smack*

Owe! The bitch slapped me. I couldn't help but feel a little flush after being slapped by such a beauty. Based on what I've seen in local brothels, most older men would be in heaven if they were in my position.

"Who are you?" she asked.

Still as a rock, the beauty's silhouette barely moved besides her fluttering hair.

"Esried. Who the fuck are you?" I asked.

"Not your name idiot. Your status."

What does that even mean? Holding eye contact, I just stared back hoping she'll eventually explain or leave me be. The beauty clicked her tongue and began to saunter deeper into the dense forest.

"Follow me."

Of course my mind raced and I think of a million reasons why I shouldn't follow, but her backside painted another picture. One that I could not turn from for nobody could refuse that ass.

0---0

Craving a decent hot shower and a nice warm meal, Sun regretted taking such a boring post. Previously she thought infiltrating another nation would bring her honor, but to this day she had no exploits to speak of. She danced along the treetops, hair flowing wildly. Each leap from branch to branch burst with power yet still maintained a natural silence, one others only hoped to achieve. Control was key as she funneled mana into each step with skill and grace.

Patrolling the area, a loud boom shook Sun almost causing her to misstep. Shooting off full speed into the direction of the blast, she infused mana into her ears for further information, a technique almost now second nature with practice.

One, two, three, and four different sets of footsteps. Sun observed from above as a peasant woman maybe thirty cycles old broke into her line of sight. The woman was clearly in distress with half torn clothes and blood dripping down her forehead, shifting eyes in clear panic.

A moment later, three men wearing bright red shirts also burst through the very same clearing. Sun had seen similar men before; that particular gang of bandits had risen in the past few weeks, growing in numbers over time. Seeking easy targets, travelers on the road just outside the forest's edge have been raided by them consistently, leaving no survivors. While Sun had the power to help, her objective was to stay hidden which meant staying in the confines of the forest. Except this time, the bandits came to her within the woods, a pity there weren't more.

"Catch and kill her! Quickly bichakos! We don't have time!" One of the red shirts with a mustache shouted.

A deadly smirk rose from Sun's lips as she found her first target. With bow in hand, she pulled its drakion sinew string back as far as she could. Keeping her hands steady, her eyes painted a virtual target over the mustache man's forehead, the largest target she could find. Mana passed through her fingertips into the bowstring with each passing second, charging it to its maximum potential. While maintaining target, flickering sparks of lightning emanated from the notched arrow, giving it a slight glow. Releasing the arrow flashed a light which confused the pursuing bandits, causing them to halt in their tracks. Immediately after, a loud crackle thundered out before one of the five men's heads exploded in a rain of red gore. Though she yearned for a more challenging fight, she repeated her motions until every man fell, littering the forest floor with brain matter. Despite her attackers all mysteriously exploding, the peasant woman kept running full speed deeper into the forest.

Sun was about to give chase to the woman until she felt a chill run down her spine. Never in her life had she felt like this before: fear, dread, and unease washed over her all at the same moment. Her instincts told her to run, anything that would cause such a reaction in her was bound to be more powerful than her. Keeping her emotions in check, Sun resisted the urge to flee and moved toward that very thing. It was her duty as an infiltrator to maintain observation over her designated area, never had she half-assed her job before. Slowly approaching, she used every stealth technique that came to mind, even those mana inefficient to use. What she saw next utterly baffled her—it was a boy.

Examining from a distance, the stranger part was that around him circled large pockets of dense blue mana, floating aimlessly in orbit. To top the bizarre encounter off, he was rolling on the floor giggling. Even though Sun has never seen physical manifestations of raw mana before, the mage in her knew what she was looking at.

Mana was usually transformed into fire, water, earth, or whatever a person could possibly imagine, never was it seen before raw with the naked eye. Sun made an educated guess that it was most likely due to its ridiculously high concentration. It even completely overshadowed the quality of her master's mana, a man deep in his mage years.

Out of pure interest, Sun watched the boy twirl around in the dirt for hours until the mana pockets finally started to evaporate, grateful that she could finally soon speak with the boy. Walking forward, she approached with caution as she studied the boy in question, noting his physical features; the white hair and skeletal structure implied human. He had no notable half breed features, at least not yet, some hid these features within their clothing. Most mixed races had a dominant physical aspect that showed a feature from each race it was comprised of, an easy way to identify where they might have come from.

While focused on the boy, a floating mana pocket grazed her, throwing her off guard. While back-flipping away, she was hit with a burst of ecstasy that made her moan uncontrollably, anybody around would think of other things happening in the forest if they heard. Panting heavily, she made a mental note to avoid those pockets of mana like a plague. To ensure her advantage, Sun grabbed the boy by the ankles and dragged him further away into the forest, deeper into her domain.

"Snap to it. I don't like waiting."

After fiddling with her emotions, Sun's eyebrows formed a vee shape while her lips curled inwards, but maintained her perfect upright posture. The boy still had a stupid smile on his face so she pulled out her water skin and poured fresh river water on his face, effectively soaking him. Sun could see him finally pulling himself together as he scanned her with his pitch black eyes, a racial feature she missed before.

Half Demon...

"Hi?"

The boy finally spoke but, Sun could definitely see that his head was still not clear.

*Smack*

Ughh... The boy has an erection, and he isn’t even trying to hide it. To be fair, innately demons were never good at being subtle with their lust. This boy is also at the age where his body was growing most. Great, she was dealing with a youth who was going through puberty.

The boy's a mage with a unique mana constitution. Critically thinking, he had to come from somewhere, be it a noble family, royalty, an academy, or even a wandering Archmage.

"Who are you?" Sun needed to know.

"Esried. Who the fuck are you."

With left hand on her hip and right hand on her chin, Sun sighed as the answer was not the one she was looking for, getting the right information wasn't going to be easy.

"Not your name idiot. Your status."

Waiting for a reply, Esried doesn't say a thing, staring pitch black eyes to poke at her soul. Maybe, the child doesn't belong to anybody. If that was the case, then she should just take him....

"Follow me."

Sun walked further toward the heart of the woods planning her next move.

A child mage that can produce large amounts of high quality mana has got to have some value.