The hotel that the academy had put us in wasn't as nice as my family’s in Gesti Sky, but it came close. This was the kind of luxury that I’d never had back on Earth. I'd wanted to explore more of the holy land, but after I tried standing up to greet the incoming teachers, I'd discovered that my body refused to move. After withstanding winds as strong as a hurricane, dozens of lightning strikes, and finally an explosion that sent me flying across a forest, my limbs had given up on me.

I'd reluctantly gone to take advantage of the five-star bedding accommodations and spa treatment offered to all the guests at the hotel.

Sue me, I'm not a masochist.

Amanda had done the same, and with the amount of ash and water that had drenched her she'd chosen to take the day off. The headaches that had formed from seeing so much lightning up close hadn't helped.

It didn't take much to convince me. One bath and I was ready to ditch the outside world for the creature comforts of hotel living.

“Never mind. I want to do this all week instead.” I said. “Who needs magic when you have technology?”

Two pairs of eyes followed me through the room, Agni and Gold chirping in amusement at my words. The two birds looked far better than I did. Gold was puffed up with pride at how well his regents had worked, and Agni was sitting elegantly on a nearby chair with her plumage back to its usual cheerful glow.

It didn't look like she’d dived straight into the heart of a storm and landed on a flaming tree.

Her chirps filled the air as I took out my lunch from my inventory.

Fight. Good. Any levels?

“Well now, that's a personal question.” I said. Then a smile cracked through my neutral expression. “But yeah, I got a few levels.”

[Stone Grasp (II) has reached level 5.]

[Mana Sense (IV) has reached level 4.]

[Metal Manipulation (II) has reached level 4.]

[Fear Tolerance (II) has reached level 3.]

Of the levels I'd received it was [Stone Grasp] that surprised me the most. It had levelled more than once in a single day, but before today it had been stuck. It took me a few moments to thing over events and figure out what I'd done differently.

I'd used [Stone Grasp] as a weapon and as a tool for saving people. Both uses had given me a level up, which meant that both were equally valid for the spell.

With the weight of the world of taking off my shoulders by my period of relaxation, I collapsed onto the couch and groaned. The stress of the day had piled onto my body without me realising it. In the grand scheme of things, I'd barely stepped outside into the holy land, but that also meant I still had plenty of time to explore.

“Status Screen.” I said.

Name: Andross Silver

Class: Second Chance

Level: 1

Health: 100/100

Mana: 11,340/29,220

Vitality: 10

Intelligence: 83

Wisdom: 11

Stamina: 8

Dexterity: 14

Available stats:

Class: 10% to any stat (unassigned)

Free stats: 10 (unassigned)

Skill list:

* Earth Creation (VI): Level 4

* Earth Manipulation (VI): Level 2

* Earthen Spear (II): Level 8

* Stone Grasp (II): Level 5

* Metal Manipulation (II): Level 4

* Water Manipulation: Level 3

* Meditation (VI): Level 1

* Fear Tolerance (II): Level 3

* Pain Tolerance(V): Level 4

* Manapool Enhancement: Level 1

* Mana Manipulation (IV): Level 3

* Mana Sense (IV): Level 5

* Mana Affinity: Level 1

* Mana Vitality (II): Level 1

* Mana Sanctuary (II): Level 2

* Mana Communication(I): Level 4

* Spirit Communication (II): Level 5

* Symbol Inscription (II): Level 3

* Celestial Convergence: Level 1

* Mark of the Crijik(III): Level 2

My manapool had increased a lot in the last month. I'd been hoping to activate it every day, but my mana regeneration wasn't that quick. Instead, the guards had been given permission to help me recharge my mana. They provided me with concoctions to bring my mana back up to full each day but a week ago they'd said that they'd need time to restock.

Ever since I'd started to get to know the church, they'd taken to helping me with little things like that.

I wasn't sure how much the tree had absorbed from my manapool, but the sheer size of it meant that I hadn't even noticed the mana trickling out. Most of it had been used up in the frequent fights out in the holy land. Summoning stone and casting spells constantly wasn’t a cheap endeavour.

The lightning and the holy land’s mana had also caused me quite a few headaches.

Thankfully, the hotel was devoid of the dense fire mana that caused my [Mana Sense] to be useless in the holy land.

A quick peek to my side revealed two curious birds, both leaning toward me with their feathers buzzing with excitement.

“I see you guys staring at me with those sparkling eyes.” I said. “Well, it's not going to work on me. Amanda’s not even here to check the branch with us.”

Their stares intensified and I sighed, giving in immediately and bringing out the branch that I'd taken from the tree. The moment it left my inventory its soft green glow filled the air, and I stared at it in wonder.

An attuned plant. An object so rare that it could create an entire household on its own. Gold leaned so far forward trying to see it that he almost fell off his perch. Agni let off a small puff of flames as she crept toward the branch.

“[Mana Sense].” I said.

With tender movements, I brought the branch up to my lap and let my [Mana Sense] flow into it. Every secret the branch held was displayed to me on a silver platter.

The leaves held echoes of the storm and clouds, lightning crackling within their veins. Along its foundation blue flames furrowed deep into it, cold to the touch. There were even stones embedded in its side, growing out of the branch as though they were a natural part of its life.

Fire, water, earth, nature, life, and lightning.

I could feel that the branch had attuned to each of the six elements in its own way, but it wasn't a stable connection. There was an ethereal tether between the symbols as they flickered in and out of existence within my mind.

A frown crossed my features as I noticed the anomaly and I dug my senses deeper into the branch. One by one the elemental symbols revealed themselves to me, and one by one they disappeared before my eyes.

I was struck by blinding pain and let out a shout. The sight of the symbols was burned into my mind, but their lack of existence was what hurt the most.

"What was that?” I asked.

I'd definitely seen six symbols. But I'd also seen them disappear.

My eyes glued onto the branch. Its soft green glow was the only constant, and that existed because of the branch’s natural affinity to life.

There were times when I had to admit that I couldn't figure out something on my own. My specialty was symbols and earth magic. Whatever was happening to this branch was beyond my capabilities.

“Hey, do you two have any ideas?” I asked. “Careful, this branch really hurts your head to look at.”

Agni and Gold swooped down, their talons clacking on the floor carefully as they examined the branch. I left them to their work, confident that they wouldn't destroy the branch we’d worked so hard to obtain.

Well, they probably wouldn't.

"What are your thoughts? Is it attuned?” I asked.

Gold tapped his beak on the floor sheepishly, and I recognised the stance he took when he was defeated. Just like me his specialty lay in a different field, and he couldn't work out what was happening.

Agni, however, had a different perspective.

None. And all.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

I squatted down next to the phoenix and watched as she nudged the branch carefully toward me. When I sent my [Mana Sense] into it I saw the same thing as before. The six elemental attunement shifted from one section to the next, each circling each other cautiously. They flickered in and out of existence, the symbols ghostly and pale.

Agni chirped as I gazed at the attunements.

Attuned. Not attuned. Same time.

I held up my chin with my hand and frowned.

"Does that mean I risked my safety for a dud?” I asked.

If I was understanding Agni correctly, the branch hadn't attuned to anything at all, but it also had at the same time. That was a paradox that I couldn't wrap my head around. It was impossible for someone or something to be attuned yet not attuned.

It went against the natural order of all the magical laws I'd learnt.

The phoenix shook her head at my words and peeped.

Treasure. Can choose. Which want.

"Oh? Oh. OH.” I jumped up at her words. Excitement flickered within me as I considered the implication. “Are you serious?”

Agni nodded her head and cheeped.

Your mana. Into symbol. Of choice. Stabilise. Maybe.

I looked at her suspiciously as her tone grew less confident. Agni raised her wings in the bird equivalent of a shrug and turned her head to the side.

“Maybe?” I asked.

She tittered.

Chance break. Chance explode.

That didn't sound good. But I knew that with every opportunity there also came risk. I couldn't create a regent without breaking a few materials, and I couldn't expect any less from a branch that was infused with six different types of magic. It was a miracle I’d been able to keep it alive this long.

Gold’s head perked up as he listened to our conversation. He looked at the branch and back at me, his eyes sparkling.

What will. You do?

I didn't answer straight away. Having a choice between six different elements was more than I could've asked for. Two of them I'd already unlocked, but nature and life were only a stone's throw away from earth. They would benefit me greatly.

Fire was also an option, since it was next in the line of elements that I wanted to learn. Especially now that I was in the middle of a holy land with the densest concentration of fire mana I'd ever encountered.

And lightning was the rarest of the basic elements.

However, this wasn't a decision I could make on my own.

“I'll need to check with Amanda to see what she wants to do.” I said. “We both worked towards this, and we both deserve equal awards. You guys too.”

Agni shook her head.

Gold. Not there. Agni. There.

The Phoenix puffed its body up proudly and I saw her sneak a cheeky chirping laugh while she watched Gold flail. The moment she'd spoken the puffer had fallen to the ground in shock.

Kidding. All friends. All share. Gold shield help.

"Exactly, we all played a part.” I said.

I didn't want to see Gold panicking further.

With a flick of my wrist, I sent the branch back into my inventory. Thankfully the inventory didn’t reject it. I decided to let Amanda rest for a while longer: there was plenty of time to make a decision and even if something unexpected happened I still had plenty of Time magic left.

“Did I hear someone say treasure?” A voice called out to me.

I raised my head and looked toward my room’s entrance. There was a tall teenage boy there, his eyes scanning the room as he walked in.

"William? I thought you were exploring the holy land.” I said.

After handing Amanda and I over to the teachers, we'd both insisted that William and Roxxy continue to explore. There was no guarantee that's what we’d found would be the only reward the holy land would give us. Ingredients were common, and there was good money to be made.

“Look outside, the day’s already gone past.” He said. “It's nighttime.”

I looked outside of his words and stared at the same fiery-red horizon that had permeated the holy land since before I was born. I heard a chuckle from behind me as William took a seat.

"Made you look." He said. "But seriously, this place can mess up your internal clock. Anyway, I came to check the goods.”

“Of course, you did.” I smiled. “Take your best swing at it. Not literally, please. I don't want it to break.”

Gold and Agni shuffled back as William tookthe branch in his hand. He was quiet as he examined the branch, and I shuddered in fear when he gave it a couple of experimental swings.

I told him about Agni’s theory, and he nodded, his attention only half on me.

“This is valuable. And weird. Really really valuable and weird. It shouldn't be possible for this branch to live this long.” He looked up at me. “You used Gerial’s gift on this, didn't you?”

I nodded. I hadn't hidden any of my attunement ceremony gifts from him, although he had been present when I'd received most of them. He knew about Oubliez’s symbol, and Gerial’s gift. As did Amanda and the birds.

William ran his fingers over the branch gently. He avoided the cloud leaves and their lightning but stopped at the veins of blue fire and examined them with interest. Finally, he looked up at me with a twinkle in his eye.

“Have you considered selling this?”