A/N: So I'll be changing Alea's settings a bit. She won't have her little brother because, one, I'm lazy, two, I don't know how to write a convincing child, three, I dunno, it makes better sense for the story and four, I'm the author.
Also, I'm taking a shot in the dark with Alea's age, so I would appreciate it if you guys could tell me if you know what it is :D (If it's hidden on the wiki, I'm sorry for not noticing)
Finally, what do you guys think about love interests? Tess is off the table so I was debating between Kathlyn, Lilia, and Eleanor (Asher is a year younger than Arthur so it should be okay, age-wise and that was my original plan too). I can do someone else if I mess with the ages and settings a bit. Take your pick.
Alea's POV
When Diane died, I felt my world crumbling away.
I only knew her for less than a year after she saved me. But during that short amount of time, she had become like family to me. She fed me, talked with me, and took care of me for 7 months, all while she was pregnant.
But those blissful days had finally come to their end.
As I watched her take her last breaths after giving birth to her child, I couldn't help but grow a bit resentful of the baby for taking her life away.
I listened as she named her child. Asher.
It meant happy or blessed. I suppose it made sense since the baby smiled and laughed rather than cried when it popped out.
Perhaps the baby got it from his mother. Diane smiled, even as she drifted closer to eternal rest.
Her tired but loving smile was warming yet piercing my heart.
She began to breathe her last, her life flickering like a dying candle.
Then, as if a grand curtain fell, Diane passed away.
I stood in silence, still processing, still accepting what happened.
It just felt too sudden.
She was fine just an hour ago, smiling and laughing. But now, after an hour, a mere hour, she was dead.
It didn't help that her dead body was still glowing with life like she was just taking a nap and would wake up at a moment's notice. But I knew, I knew so very well, that she wouldn't be waking up from her nap.
However, before I could cry, my eyes fell onto the figure of a newborn infant.
My mind was still blank and numb, but I managed to pick up the baby. That was when something inside of me finally clicked.
When I picked up the newborn and felt its warmth on my body, its curious yet intelligent golden eyes shying away from the light, a thought surfaced.
This is Diane's child.
With that thought, I was suddenly washed over by a sense of guilt. How could I blame this child? A child that was born in the worst possible circumstances?
It was then, the feelings hit me like a truck. The gentle wave of guilt became a tsunami and the shock of losing Diane, which had been like a dam, collapsed, letting the flood of emotions that had been held at bay rush in.
I felt tears begin to pour out, and I muttered incomprehensible blabber that even I couldn't understand.
Then my cries were mixed with another's, but I couldn't even tell over myself.
Our sobs could be heard throughout the forest for some time.
**
I looked silently at the crappy grave I had dug.
My tears had all but dried up, and I could finally think properly again.
Diane had to live in a cave, so I just buried her there. I wanted to do more, but if it was ever known that there was a human body in the Elshire Forest, the body would most likely be moved. In other words, I needed to move quickly and stealthily if I wanted Diane to rest in peace and this child to be safe.
In front of her grave, I bowed 90 degrees.
Memories of our time together here, the jokes, the laughs, and the stories we shared flashed through my mind. Then, something akin to a resolve came up within me.
'I swear, Diane... no. Mother.'
...It was strange calling her mother, but I knew that she was the closest thing I could or would ever have to one.
'I'll take care of your child as though it were mine, just as you did for me.'
With that resolution, I turned and left the cave, a chapter of my life.
**
Quickly making my way through the forest, I used a hidden teleportation gate that I found, which led to the western gates; they were hardly ever guarded as it led to the deepest parts of the forest.
Swiftly making my way through the Elven capital, I managed to make it to my home, the human baby going unnoticed.
After that, my life became a blur. I took care of Asher (who I'd later just call Ash) and spent the rest of my time working as a candidate.
Back when I was just starting out, my kind neighbor assisted me. Luckily, she didn't ask any questions about the human child in my house.
Also, fun fact: as it turns out, babies can't eat military-grade trail mix... who would've thought?
Anyways, following my neighbor's instructions, I learned to change Ash's diapers, make his meals, and even put him to sleep.
Though I was worried about leaving him home all the time, he seemed to be able to take care of himself fairly well. It wasn't the best environment for a baby to grow up in, but he seemed to be the same no matter what happened, so I sucked it up and just worried about him from afar.
In any case, after all this time, I had to admit. I found Ash absolutely adorable.
Was it because he reminded me of Diane? Perhaps. But really, from his snowy white hair, his playful and smiling eyes that, at times, seemed almost... intelligent. But rather than creeping me out, it only added to his charm.
I almost forgot to mention, his little frazzled reaction when I poke his little nose is priceless.
As soon as he started crawling, I was so proud I was on the verge of shedding tears, but I didn't know how much of a headache he'd be as soon as he became mobile.
I'd leave the house with him soundly sleeping on the bed, but when I came back, I'd find him on the floor, seemingly reading books.
Was it normal for children to be like this? I wasn't sure. Maybe it was a human thing.
But all this isn't mentioning that I can't get enough of seeing his head, which seemed so disproportional to his little body, bobbling left and right while trying to take everything around him in. Even though he's in the same house every day, he always seems to be taking in the place as though it were his first time seeing it.
Plus, he called me mama! I don't know if it's okay for him to call me mama since I'm not his mom, but... hehe.
Ahem.
Go away, stupid smile.
In any case, I was just glad Diane's kid was healthy and... somewhat normal. It's been almost two years now. His birthday is coming up soon as well. I should probably buy him a gift.
I wonder what he'd want? Perhaps something for the future? Maybe a sword or a wand or something depending on what he awakens to if he manages to awa—
—BOOM
**
It's been just under two years since I began my journey. Since then, I had constantly been trying to gather the little bits of mana spread out in my body and focus it in an attempt to form a mana core.
To put it simply, it's harder than studying for the damn SAT.
I would find myself having an easier time learning how to walk on my hands and eat with my feet in this damnable body than trying to will my mana core to condense.
I could see why the book said that it'll take until at least the adolescent age for a person to 'awaken.' If I had let the mana particles in my body move by themselves, it would take at least a decade for them to gravitate towards each other to form anything remotely close to a mana core.
In my case, I was lucky enough to have the mental capacity of an adult. This meant that I had the cognitive ability to consciously will my mana particles together. This was something I did as a child in my past life in school, where they taught you from childhood to learn how to control ki.
Essentially, it's being able to sense the ki, or the mana now, in your own body and force them together near the solar plexus. If left alone, the particles will eventually slowly float towards each other anyway.
What I'm doing is grabbing the feathers and shoving them into the twill sack instead of waiting for them to float down by themselves, figuratively speaking, of course.
Daily rituals consisted of trying to spend as much of my limited energy as possible on gathering my mana while avoiding suspicion from my Alea or mama as I've come to start calling her.
Alea was nice and did her best to raise me though it seemed work was something that ate up most of her time. However, her love and care for me were obvious, and being able to experience such motherly love was more than enough to dampen any sort of blasphemous loneliness.
Feeling like I should do something in return, I began practicing speaking. After I first said "mama", she almost burst into tears of joy. It seems that Alea has really come to start thinking of me as her own kid.
Besides that, the pace of my training was strenuous and slow. Still, I was getting a massive head start compared to everybody else, so I wasn't complaining.
In any case, these past two years have not gone to waste, for I finally gathered all my mana into my solar plexus.
"Kukuku."
I smiled and laughed.
It was finally time.
The culmination of two years of undivided cultivation and training.
I present to you... my mana core!
—BOOM
A/N: ...What am I writing? Idek anymore.