Chapter 18: It all changes here Part 4
Over the past few days, I had been training my mana core and developing my bond with both my brother and Sylvia. Whether that be through chatting, mentoring or just being in each others presence.
Over the days I knew her, the alarm bells in my head had gradually cooled down, allowing me to see past her demonic visage. She was kind, gentle, and warm, much like a mother, or potentially a grandmother. She scolded us when we were in the wrong, in the most tender way possible, much like my own mother...
Art had mentioned how he thought the bandits deserved worse deaths, and I couldn't help but voice my own agreement. They were planning to sell and abuse the females, me and my brother for their own monetary gain. In one word, it was sickening.
Despite having what I thought was the moral high ground, we were both given flicks to the head from one of her armoured fingers. Even though she contained her strength greatly, she was still a mountain of a woman, with the power to back it up.
"What was that for?" my brother questioned angrily, and I couldn't help but echo his sentiment.
"We aren't wrong Sylvia, they were planning to sell and abuse us. Death was a merciful escape for them."
With ease, she picked the two of us up and placed us on her armoured lap, as she spoke in a gentle but hurt tone.
"Art, Andy. Perhaps you are not wrong in that those bandits did deserve death; even I chose not to save that mage you fell with for that same reason. However, do not let your heart be clouded with continuous thoughts of hatred and the sort. Continue on proudly with your life and gain the strength to protect your loved ones from harm. Along the way, you will come to face situations like before, maybe even worse, but don't let grief and rage corrode your heart. Move on and learn to better yourself from those experiences so it won't happen again."
I gaped. The fact that morals were being preached by a creature that your worst nightmares would have nightmares about was rather ironic. In that sense, it struck me all that much more. Before someone like her, I truly was a child. As such, I just hummed in response.
Another observation of note was that Sylvia's wound seemed to be worsening. The wound seemed to grow wider. I found it to be miraculous that she could live in such a state, but that notion became void after awhile. That was until one day her chest became covered in her own blood, as she attempted to hide the wound.
Our worry clearly leaked onto our expressions, as she responded before either one of us could express our worries.
"Do not worry little ones. This wound festers from time to time." her words caused me to think back to when I asked why she couldn't heal herself. It clearly wasn't so simple of a wound.
Another day, Art and I were meditating together. We made a friendly competition out of our training, seeing who could meditate the longest and who could improve the quickest. I had issue staying still for long periods of time, as it left me feeling restless. However, due to the strength of my mana veins, I could draw in ambient mana from the surroundings at a quicker pace.
"Little ones. Try absorbing mana while you are making movements. Ideally you should be able to absorb at least a fraction of the mana you would during meditation while you are fighting. Although you would be spending mana much faster than you can absorb mana, you will be able to prolong your mana usage."
This was exactly what I needed. A way to move while also training my mana core, it was perfect. The only draw back being I would need to learn to split my attention into portions. It was so simple yet so overlooked, considering the fact that absorption and manipulation are considered two different aspects a mage must master.
"Humans have a very linear mindset in regards to mana and find it hard to deviate from anything that already works. Practice hard now, though, because you can only acquire this skill while both your body and mana core are immature. Even mana beasts learn to do this naturally, but humans awaken much too late and in most cases, their bodies are not adept for this ability when they first awaken. Considering you are so young, their shouldn't be a problem if you practice." Sylvia continued proudly.
"Let's try Andy." Art nodded to me, and I hummed in agreement.
I resumed meditating, every now and then moving something as simple as a finger, or a toe. In theory it was far simpler than one could imagine. Humans can only process three to four things consciously at one time, making this an extremely difficult process. It reminded me of the exercises the orphanage where you make your arms preform different movements. Except those exercises were easy.
My previous experiences allowed for a little more ease than Art, as I was required to be constantly thinking of my body when performing, however this was much different. I had to partition my mind between making motions, absorbing, and purify mana, all while thinking of correct responses to certain situations.
As such I took to a new exercise, hoping to aid my progress.
I picked up two fallen branches of equal length and found the softest patch of ground within the cavern. Sitting myself at this area, I closed my eyes and consciously focused on my breathing, while drawing differing shapes with my left and right sticks.
After my first attempt, my shapes were messy and sometimes the sides of each shape didn't even connect. Meaning I had room to improve.
Needless to say, I had never poked myself with a stick as much as now, earning a few chuckles from our saviour Sylvia.
Two months passed with my brother and I being in Sylvia's care. We kept her company with many topics of conversation. My brother told stories of our family while I recounted the books I had read in a surprising amount of detail.
I would switch between exercises during a day, alternating between drawing in the dirt, or tripping over myself trying to move and meditate. Occasionally I sparred with Art, no mana, purely skill with our weapons of choice.
Over these months, I had come to be more attached to her than I care to admit. With each passing day she began to feel more and more like a grandmother to us. She treated us with all the kindness in the world, watching over us like a guardian. And due to our bond, it was becoming increasingly frustrating that her wound was becoming worse as the portal responsible for a transportation came closer to completion.
Her words " It would take far too much energy to heal, energy that I cannot spare" echoed through my brain.
I was becoming more and more frustrated over watching a person close to me be harmed, until one day Art snapped.
"Sylvia, please tell me, what's happening to your wound? Why is it getting worse? It wasn't like this before! You saying it was only a fester every now and then was clearly a lie! This isn't going to go away on its own, it's actually getting worse!" Art screamed out his frustrations and his built up tension.
That's when it dawned on me. I was so stupid, how could I not realise sooner?
The more the portal was defined, the worse she got.
In order to send us home...
She was sacrificing her own life.
Sylvia released a deep sigh, understanding that we had uncovered the thinly veiled secret that we were too blind to see.
"Art, Andy. Yes, I am dying. But I will get angry if you blame yourself, thinking that you are causing this. I have been dying for quite a while now. You are doing me a favour by allowing me to leave this forsaken cave a bit faster."
A bright light encompassed her as she finished speaking, blinding me with its radiance. I shielded my eyes to prevent me from losing my vision, and as the blinding light dimmed, what replaced it could not contradict the Sylvia I knew more. Sylvia's enormous figure clad in obsidian armour was substituted for a titan like Dragon with pearlescent white scales that shone like precious gems. Beneath her luminescent lavender eyes were lavish golden markings, cascading down her body from her neck. They were akin to a tribes markings, only far more celestial. The dragon's wings were of a snowy colour, decorated with feathers similar to that of a swan's, only far sharper.
The golden light finally died out, revealing Sylvia flashing a toothy grin.
"There now... Do I look a bit more like a Sylvia?"
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