"Are you OK?"
Garnedell rolled his eyes and laughed, "I'm fine. Joe needs to know sothing of my family and past. It … you do not have to worry; you or Kilniara."
Zilnek considered for a mont before nodding and looking to him, "Well, if you ever have need, I will be there for you. We are now brothers. You can count on my sister and I."
Garnedell burst out in laughter and nodded, "Thank you, brother Zilnek. It ans a lot to , but this is sothing simple and not sothing of concern. But it is sothing that I must tell Joe."
Zilnek seed to nod in understanding and then offered a pat of sympathy on his shoulder. Both looked at each other before grasping each other in that strange handshake the people of this land used before nodding firmly. Joe smiled to see their sincerity, grateful for their growing relationship. Both were interrupted with Kilniara coming out and all three guys tumbled into the room after her exit before Joe called out to her.
"Make sure to get supper for us."
Kilniara nodded with a brave face, "Yes! I will."
Garnedell, however, called imdiately after Joe, "Wait for us to co, though. I think I will need to speak with Joe so ti."
Kilniara turned and looked to Garnedell, nodding firmly before looking to Zilnek. The two siblings stared at one another for so monts before Zilnek nodded and Kilnaira seed to relax, so form of reassurance or explanation transmitted in the subtle body language that Zilnek exuded for Kilniara.
Hmm… seems like she was still a bit nervous as well. Wonder what Garnedell hinted at to Zilnek to calm them down. Joe stepped across the room but then stopped when Garnedell waved Zilnek on ahead of them and Zilnek took the wash basin first.
"I'll clean first to allow yourselves ti alone."
"Thank you, brother," Garnedell nodded sincerely and Joe realized that whatever had been shared was quite aningful to the two; so form of deepened camaraderie. Zilnek bathed quickly enough before turning to the two and offering his farewell then slipping from the room.
Joe looked to Garnedell as it was his show, waiting patiently, but Garnedell ignored him and seed to focus on the door, even standing to walk up to it and cautiously listen at the door for several monts before quickly opening the door to look out into the hallway, glancing both ways before shutting the door and locking it.
Joe's eyebrows jumped a bit at that and realized that despite Garnedell's downplaying, things were quite a bit more important than he'd expected. Garnedell walked back from the door before collapsing in Zilnek's bed with a deep sigh and release of tension.
Joe waited patiently but finally found couldn't hold back his curiosity, "Right. So, why all the cloak and dagger?"
Garendell looked at him with so confusion before seeming to dismiss the confusion and just start the conversation, "You wished to learn of," Garnedell softened to a cautious whisper, "magic."
"Oh, right," Joe replied without Garnedell's caution before he was hushed quickly and continued, "But, why were you being … why did we have to be so quiet?"
"Joe. No one can know. No one can know!" Garendell spoke in an urgent whisper.
"Why?"
"I do not know who is listening. But… no one."
Garnedell thought for several monts before continuing his questioning. He knew what the issue was. Garnedell had been pretty blunt when Joe brought up details about ho but he still wanted to know. He couldn't be careful about what to say if he didn't know what information was dangerous.
"Then, how do we talk about this?"
Garendell considered for a mont before continuing, "Can you guarantee against scrying."
"Scry… oh," Joe's thoughts ground to a halt. How do I make sure nothing is magically listening to us. Joe sighed deeply at that before nodding. Must learn magic ASAP.
"Right. We will have to postpone such a thing, then," Joe replied instead.
Garnedell nodded but still seed driven to secrecy as he was now whispering, "Then let's begin. You must learn this imdiately,"
"Could you tell why?"
"This is sothing that everyone learns as a child, almost from birth; from the lowest slave to the greatest clan prince. Everyone knows it. Everyone," Garnedell ended on a whispered note of deep gravitas.
Joe thought for a mont before eyes widened. I'm going to stand out like a freakin' strobe light.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
"Everyone on this plane," Joe replied with a hint of questioning.
"And everyone on every plane across the galaxy."
Galactic wide practices known to all but … yeah… that would label as outsider pretty freakin' quick.
"How many are capable of expressing mana?"
"Everyone!" Garnedell replied rather emphatically before quickly dropping himself back to a whisper.
Ok. Yeah… this is important.
Garnedell also quickly interjected, "And no one can see mana or mana points!"
Joe paused at that, "The … weird points you were using?"
"Yes."
"No one can see them?"
"Yes… and no one can see mana."
Joe paused at that, grinding his teeth a bit as he thought, "What's… what's mana and what are mana points?"
Garnedell replied, "It's very hard to explain. There is a difference between the two, but explaining sothing you cannot see is… oh…"
Joe grinned and Garnedell started grinning happily shortly after. Garnedell began giggling and Joe joined in with a chuckle. He waved to Garnedell but said nothing so Garnedell simply nodded and began.
"Mana points."
Joe watched a wave of points, looking almost like miniscule dust particles hanging in the air, but obviously under so kind of control. The slamd into existence from an infinite distance away imdiately in front of his face without actually moving in any on the main three dinsions. Garnedell had them wave around a bit, slowly and easily seen. He then froze the mana points and waved to the side.
"Mana."
A cloud of vapor or mist washed out from his hand. Misty vapor… not really mist… not vapor either… not a cloud… weird interactions… not … not feeling like that at all. It doesn't fill the room… just kind of hangs there then… fades away? What… Joe raised a hand and wafted it through the strange vapor-mist-cloud thing.
Garnedell interrupted him and waved his other hand to his other side and then zipped his points to hover over his hand other hand. They pulled into a rough loose sphere and fell to a lazy spin over the top of his hand.
"Mana."
The sa vapor-mist-cloud ford, but this ti coming out of the mana points and Joe felt his eyebrows flicker in surprise. Two sources of mana? Why? That… has anyone ever thought of that? Do they know there are two sources? Maybe nobody knows… although it seems obvious … no… they must know. Garnedell deliberately showed two different ways, so…
"Two different ways to … express mana?"
Garendell glanced around before nodding his head. Joe took the hint and snapped his mouth shut. More questions for later in more careful situations? Gonna have to find so way to get privacy… So… pursue more? No… He's looking jumpy… on to other things… so…
"Moving on? Then… so… expressing mana."
"And infusion."
"OK. Then… how often do they do this? How often do people see others do this?"
"Uh… every day? Although many may not notice or understand what they are seeing."
"Then, are Kilniara and Zilnek suspicious?"
Garnedell quickly shook his head, "Even I was not. You are a Master and with your great power, you would likely need to do so every day all day long to have any aningful growth."
"Then others might notice?"
"I… I do not know, but I would think so?"
Joe fell silent at that, thinking carefully before nodding his head, "But they would at least be confused if they never saw do any of these things."
"Or infuse, yes," Garnedell adds at the end.
"So… a couple hours to teach and years to master," Joe replied after several monts of silence, rembering their morning conversation.
"Yes."
"Then, we should begin?"
Garnedell quickly nodded before having him quickly settle on the bed before sitting on the bed close to him before reaching his hand out and pressing it close to Joe's torso but just shy of touching him.
"So. What you must do is just release. Reach inside yourself and just release. After you can feel the release of it, then you can begin practicing until you are emptied of mana. This feeling will be a form of exhaustion of the mind and may bring so pain of the mind and head. The first ti you feel it, it will be strange, but it will beco normal as you beco used to it and even the pain of the mind and head will fade and no longer affect you once you have gained skill in using it."
"Hmm… so just… release. How? What does it feel like?"
Garnedell chuckled, obviously maddeningly frustrated as he shook his head, "My father warned that I would feel the sa when I grew older. I asked the sa question of him, and despite knowing and even swearing to find the answer myself, there is … no clear way to explain."
Joe sighed before he smirked at Garnedell, "So… no help then?"
Garnedell burst into laughter before shaking his head, "No."
Joe nodded and then closed his eyes. Right, so… release. What am I looking for? The only thing I know to 'release' is gas… and poop… Joe's stifled a giggle before calming his mind and moving on to what he needed. He thought back to what he'd seen from Garnedell, the haze of mana coming into existence into the very torso of Garnedell before drifting through his body and expelling from his hands into his staff. He also rembered the points orbiting Garnedell, also expelling mana from them as well. Which… huh? Why… why was he expelling mana from the points and from inside his own torso? Why two sources… he seems jumpy about discussing that, but maybe…
"Ah, Garnedell? When you expelled mana to infuse your staff, you … I didn't see any points. The mana seed to co from inside you."
"Base mana. It is essentially worthless except to infuse weaponry with or to power so form of enchantnt or potion, but it is essentially non-functional except for so unique situations or skills. We cannot control it or bring about intent to form spells with it. It must be stored in points to instill intent. With points co control of the elents and powers. It's not even really our mana. It is simply mana that has… fused? Fused is the wrong word. It has been basking? Resting? Maybe that is a good word, resting. It has been resting in our soul where it has been tinged with our identity and with it we can use it to claim points as our own, instilling our identity to the point and gaining control of it. It is only temporary control, but it is control for life, for the most part."
"So it's our own mana but not our own mana?"
"No, it really is not our mana. It just has been… flowing through us from the Cradle since our birth. Mana seeks intent and as animals and especially as sapients, we will draw mana to us quickly. Mana will rest in our intent and identity, as much as can be drawn and claid within the small area that is us. As it rests in us, it slowly becos colored by us. It will never truly be us or ours. But it does take on us."
Joe blinked, eyes going cross eyed trying to grasp the esoteric oddity Garnedell was describing and finding it almost impossible. He'd had his fair share of taphysical discussions in the past, especially with the more spiritual aspect of so of the martial arts he'd pursued, but this was about as mind bending as he'd ever heard. It almost made sense. But just…
Reviews
All reviews (0)