Chapter 43 - A Promise

“It’s not that you see it because of me. That’s impossible. From the beginning, from the moment you were born, you probably could see mana.”

Rhema answered Azriel’s question. “But this is my first time seeing it,” said Azriel.

“You were just not aware of it. You can see it now even after I withdrew magic.”

“But, it was full of stars everywhere, but now, where you touched your fingers look blurry.”

“Once you get used to it, you will be able to control it freely. Generally, you keep it closed unconsciously. It’ll be hard to live your daily life if you see mana from everywhere. You can’t see your original surroundings because they would be buried by mana.”

“Ah…” Azriel, who recalled the view of mana, soon understood. Buried by the groups of stars, she could not see other things very well. Rhema faintly sighed. “In fact, it was a little dangerous a moment ago. It’s because I gave you too much stimulus despite knowing your potential.”

“Is it quite dangerous to see everything like that?”

“Mana has a characteristic of condensing. If you recognize mana in nature in unity, you can be integrated into it. You almost lost your ego.” Azriel could not comprehend his words. As she did not understand, Rhema chose his words carefully. “You can think that you almost died.”

“Oh, I see.” Azriel nodded as she understood now. She was not so surprised even though he said she almost died. It was because she vaguely remembered the feeling of almost disappearing, overwhelmed by mana. Rhema stroked her hair. “As a matter of fact, you don’t need to learn common magic since you can see mana. If you move according to what you see, that will be magic. However, Azriel, if you do so,” he stopped talking. Azriel was looking up at him. Young golden eyes were looking at him without any doubt. She believed him. Only a few words could make her choose the way he wanted.
This girl was the only being to appear in a thousand years and could reach the same height as him. He wanted to pull her up that level, right now. To the height where all things would freeze. Even if she dies while climbing up or he kills her… That should not happen. He should not choose her fate. It was not because that was the right thing to do. He did not want to see those eyes get tarnished. Rhema suppressed the seething impulse inside him. With a still face disguised in tranquility, he said. “…I will teach you all of the magic. After learning it all, later, if you want… I will teach you the magic beyond that, the magic that the primary wizards used.” Rhema gazed straight at Azriel’s eyes. “So, please don’t touch mana before that. Seeing is okay. I’ll also teach you how to see it safely. However, you can’t touch it.”

“I shouldn’t touch the stars?”

“No, never, touch the stars. I want you to promise me.” Saying that, his face was scarily stern. Azriel did not even think and nodded. To her, his words were the truth. “Okay, I will never touch them.” Rhema held Azriel’s both hands. Her young hands were so small that they fit in Rhema’s hand. A group of stars gathered in his hand. She could tell that mana was gathering. Azriel now understood the sight. He asked again. “I will cast a spell on you. It will let me know if you break your promise, is that okay?”

“What’s going to happen if I break it? Are you going to punish me?” Hearing Azriel’s question, Rhema twitched his lips. “No, it’s a pleasure for me, so how would I do that…” His voice was small like a groan. Azriel could not hear him well. “What did you say, Rhema?” Instead of answering her, he shook his head and asked. “Do you promise?”

“I promise…” As soon as she answered, stars dizzily moved above the back of her hands. A white pattern looking like an interlocked knot was drawn on both backs of her hands and slowly sank in. Azriel looked at it with surprised eyes. Rhema let her hands go. Before she knew it, his face had turned soft as usual. “Then, let’s go eat breakfast. From now on, you will learn magic in the afternoon,” he said.

*

In the morning, Azriel usually went to the village to play with kids or played in the yard. And in the afternoon, she learned magic from Rhema. The first thing learned was the types of magic.

“The world is full of mana, but the mana that most of the wizards use is limited to the legacy inside their body they were born with. You know that, right?” Rhema asked.

“Yes, that’s why it is said knowing your mana capacity is most important.”

“Mana capacity is important, but it’s not the most important thing. In fact, that’s only limited to magicians.”

“Magicians?”

“The wizards we call today are mere magicians. They use the ‘skill’ to draw changes with their ‘own’ mana, which is called ‘conjuring’ in another word.”

“Umm… Conjuring and magic are different?”

“It’s different. Look at this.” Rhema opened his hand. When Azriel focused on his hand, stars began to show. As if it was made of a galaxy, Rhema’s body was filled with white stars. Among the countless stars, only a small fraction moved. The stars that slipped out above his palm were aligned in a consistent pattern in the air. To her, it seemed like a constellation was forming. “Reshith.” When he called the name of his mana, it responded. A little light was formed above his hand. “This is conjuring.” Rhema pushed up the light that was floating above his palm. Azriel watched the light that hovered above her head like fireflies. “Did you see the movement of mana?”

“Yes, it looked like it was forming a constellation.”