1. Macabre Marmalade (COMPLETED; EDITING)

XXXIV (16.1)

The woods were on fire and it was all Todor's fault. He smiled nervously as the roar of the explosion assaulted his ears. A moment later he turned away from the developing inferno shielding his face from the wind buffeting him. His hair spread around his head like a peacocks tail before the shockwave subsided.

The modification he performed on the railgun worked splendidly. From three shots to whooping seven, before the Fire Perl embedded in its casing recharged the battery. The orb itself could recharge the battery four times before magic inside would be used up. Now with the knowledge of his True Name in his mind, he could sense the mana-ether vortex inside the magical artifact and more importantly, feel the energy rage across the ruined trees.

He stood alone in the meadow few kilometers from the Moriganhold. Not wanting to wake up Cass he grabbed a bus to the outskirts of the city then took a hike for a few hours until he found this secluded place. There he decided he would test his modified weapon. What do you think of this Ezezu? He asked the ghostly presence in his mind. From the girl, he got the impression of an impressed nod. Their bond was getting stronger since now he could feel not just emotions, but abstract thoughts, visualization of body language, and not to mention real words.

You should practice your raw mana manifestation with that fire, Ezezu said in his mind. Todor made a grimace at the suggestion. He felt mana being metabolized and stored in an invisible bag that he could just reach out for with his awareness. But the speed at which the bag was filling was mind-numbingly slow. It was a barest of trickles in comparison to the vastness of the container he could feel with his mind.

I am not sure I should waste any mana, Miss Book. Regain is so slow I feel like it will take months to have enough to practice anything, he responded mildly irritated by the entire affair. He managed to learn his True Name, he could cast magic now, but something else stopped him from achieving his full potential.

I feel your frustration and anger, but don't let things that you can't change right now get to you, Ezezu said in a calming voice, her tone like a balm echoing in his skull.

Todor sucked a mouthful of air, puffed his cheeks, and slowly exhaled it all out. I feel like I got a brand new car but have just enough gas to turn the engine on for half a minute. That leaves me at the curb, not going anywhere, he complained as he kicked the rock under his feet. The smell of burning wood was getting stronger, it's pungent aroma attacking his nose as if in revenge for his wanton slaughter of innocent vegetation earlier.

You were smart to prepare these new human-made weapons. They look like magic even though the only spell I can sense is embedded slaver gem you put inside of it, Ezezu's thought reached him. You opened only the first gate, it's normal your mana production will be low. But look at your kin, your brethren lost the ability to sense the flow of mana at all.

Todor had to agree she was right. He made a huge leap forward into gaining the power to protect himself, people he cared for, and the entire city.

The large tree trunk fell, consumed by the angry fire. The crackle of the blaze intensified and Todor stepped back from the blaze. I really need to stop that from spreading. Any ideas Ezezu? His grip on the railgun increased as the heat warmed his face. The smooth carbon-fiber frame of the weapon was cold to the touch in contrast. Todor felt the vortex of spinning mana-ether reaction of the Fire Pearl he installed last night making the hairs on his arm dance up and down slightly. It was a reassuring thing to have at hand just useless against the fire right now. Or is it? He wondered looking at the heavy weapon in his hands.