For as long as humanity has existed there has always been tales of the supernatural, of the extraordinary,

Long gone civilizations even believed firmly in such beings, angels and demons.

But for the people of the current day, these divine beings once worshiped, are now nothing but extinct species,

Hunted to extinction by the people of Terra, their mana now fueling the technology of the great city Pluton, and their flesh left buried into the earth, only to be mined out again years later as the material tielum

These are what beings of mana are to humans, natural resources.

…….

…….

“Again-ah-ha…” I pant wiping my face clean from the combination of water and dirt on it

Rain had begun to fall a while ago, it doesn’t stop me from getting this magic thing right…

“Are you sure?” asks Sprite

“You seem to be doing good as it, even though you don’t have an individual type or attribute you can control the magic in the air,

Or, well dirt if I want to be specific..”

“Again,” I repeat

“Okayy…

Hyuh!”

Fwhip!♪

Massive Vines, the size of tree trunks, spring out of the ground swinging towards me

(Alright let’s try this again)

“Huhh-nnnnggghhn!”

Firming my stance, I brace the impact of the vine pushing it back to the best of my ability

“aaaaaaghhh”

(Come on!)

Dirt all around me begins to rises up, but that isn’t what I’m trying to control right now

“Stoppp!” gritting my teeth I push harder than ever while trying to feel the mana in the plant

Splish♪

Splish!♪

Droplets of rain trickle down my soaking head onto my face, some obstructing my vision

I press on regardless

(Come on, what does this vine's mana feel like…?)

Spilsh!♪

Splish!♪

More droplets fall

It’s all I can hear right now the–

–No,

Fwrrcck-fwwrrr♪

(What’s that other sound?)

Fwrrcck-fwwrrr♪

(It sounds like roots pushing through soil)

“Huhnnngghh!”

The plant begins to push back slowly detracting away back into the damp soil

(That’s it)

“Mana doesn’t have a feeling, it’s a sound!” I exclaim to Sprite who’s eyes gleam with excited pleasure

“A sound, you say, not even the trees knew of that,

You must have good ears Kage,”

“I wonder if Apollo also hears a sound when using his mana”

“The trees think you’re stronger than me in this forest”

“Are you really that strong?”

“Ha-ha!

If you must know, I Sprite can be considered a god as long as I stay in this forest!” She declares in the most arrogant voice I’ve heard yet from her

“What about outside the forest?”

“Well…

I can’t really leave the forest for long, or I’d wither away slowly,

But as long as I’m here I can do just about anything that can be done with plants,”

“And what if the supreme leader decides to burn the forest down?”

“Don’t be so negative Kage,

The trees say that the supreme leader won’t and never will harm the forest because he respects nature and maintaining the balance of things on Terra”

“hmnn

Hopefully I never meet him,” I say while looking up at the sky letting the rain soak my face

(Listen to it’s sound)

“Sprite can you grow a tree right there preferably a weaker one” I point to an empty spot before putting my hands in a position as if I was holding a bow

Curious to see what I’ll do, Sprite complies growing a tall but thin tree

(Listen to the sound…)

Splish!♪

Splish!♪

“Huhhh, okay….

Raindrop arrow!”

Fwashh!♪

Splacksh!♪

Imitating the movement of firing an arrow with my hands, Surprisingly the raindrops gather together forming said arrow,

It whizzes through the air knocking the thin tree, bending it,

“Woahh” applauds Sprite though her hands don’t actually make a sound

“I was just making sure my archery skills were still on point,” I pretend to dust off my wet hands in the most arrogant voice ever

(She should see what I could do with a guitar)

“Then trees are really interested in you now Kage,

They say they think they know who you probably are”

“……..

Oh… um well I should he heading back to the Velvet Underground now, so tell me next time,

I am actually getting tired of soaking here,”

“Huh, why are you acting this way Kage?”

“……

See you later Sprite” I awkwardly jog past the plant person

….

….

***

(I immediately ran away the moment Sprite mentioned knowing who I was

I know I have to find out eventually,

But what if I don’t like what I hear, what if…)

“You were gone for quite a while Kage,” the robot XPunk bows as I pass it in the Velvet Underground

“I needed some air, and please don’t bow or do any of that respectful shit”

“Pardon?”

“I mean speak to me causally”

“Very well”

(……..)

…..

“Apollo?”

…..

Wham–Wham–Wham!♪

I loudly slam man hand on the young man’s door

“I want to spar with you, get up and/or out of Himari, it’s been long enough,”

“F..five minutes, give me five minutes,” his voice answers back through the door

“Wait for me in the training room”

(........)

……..

…..

….

“Hhhh, ok, let’s get to sparing” Apollo marches into the simulation room,

“I don’t think the two have fought since that time we first met, Kage,”

“Yeah, I remember getting the best of you”

“Because of that bow thingy, but that doesn’t matter since you don’t have it again it

Now come on Kage,

I’ll even give you the first hit”

(Time to see if I can hear his mana as well)

“My pleasure,” I reply rushing up to the young man

BRAKUOOM!♪

Before I even swing, I hear a thunderous, sound despite nothing happening

“Hah!” my punch goes past the young man, though he hasn’t yet moved

(Did he dodge, Or I am just inaccurate?)

“Huhhh”

(I’ll go for his legs)

BRAKUOOM!♪

Uhnnk!

Before I even step in for the leg sweep, I find myself being uppercut halfway across the room

“Come on Kage you got to try better than that” Apollo taunts

“How did you do that?” demand rubbing my jaw gingerly

(I’ve been ruffed up a bit too much in one day)

“My mag-mana, back on the second ring I developed the ability to make myself really fast, but because I can’t feel my legs anymore, I can’t use my speed properly anymore so I developed this new spell, instead of moving fast to run I evade everything at light speed,

Infinite evade,”

(So that’s what that booming was, thunder before the lighting,

That’s what his mana sounds like)

“To be honest I should expect this from an angel boy like you” I say mockingly

“Angel boy?

Ha, looks like you’ve been doing your research since getting here, Kage

But Himari and I also know what you are–”

“Shut up and let’s go again” I cut him off

(Does everyone know who I am except me at this point?)

“Oh, you seem pretty confident Kage”

“I have a few knew tricks I haven’t shown you yet”

“OK, well come at me then!”

“Be careful what you wish for!”