Mana Mirror: Chapter Sixty-One (Patreon)

Ed was picking through the fridge when I got home, but froze when he saw me.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

I gave him a shortened version of events, and by the end, my eyes were wet, and I wiped at them.

I hated angry crying. It was always the worst feeling, being so upset that there was nothing you could do but cry.

It was always worse when it happened when arguing with people. They often assumed that I was apologetic, or that I was less firm in my convictions, when in reality, I was so firm in my convictions that the emotions couldn’t come out of my mouth fast enough, and they instead had to emerge as tears.

This time I wasn’t sure where the anger was directed. There was some of it at the world, for creating a system of work where I couldn’t work in it. Someone of it was at me, for being messed up in a way that didn’t let me work normally. Some of it was at Alvaro for being the one to throw it in my face.

That wasn’t rational, and I knew it. He’d been kind with it, kinder than plenty of my teachers had been. It wasn’t his fault.

But it still hurt, because it was from someone I respected.

Ed pulled me into a tight hug, crushing me against him.

“Help… Can’t… Breathe…” I gasped.

He hugged me tighter for a second before he let me go.

“I know what you mean,” he said. “It’s really frustrating.”

Dusk let out a low, mournful river sound, and threw her tiny arms around my neck. I wiped at my tears and smiled, gently stroking her back with one finger.

“Thanks,” I said.

“Did I tell you that I turned down a promotion recently?” Ed asked.

“No.”

“They wanted to promote me to a detective role,” he said. “They had me shadow another detective for a day first, and… I was bored out of my mind. I couldn’t do it. Even though it made more money, I just…”

He shook his head.

“I had to keep working the beat, being out on the street. I didn’t tell you or dad, cuz I didn’t want either of you to get mad at me or be disappointed in me,” he said. “I mean, the promotion would have been really nice in terms of money. About fifteen thousand extra silver a year.”

“I wouldn’t have been mad at you,” I said.

“I know, but it still crossed my mind,” he said. “I just… I’m trying to say that I get it. It’s really frustrating. You just have to find work that suits you well. I think that may be why you like contract work so much. You keep wandering, you keep doing new things. Never have to stick with something so long that it gets boring.”

“Maybe,” I said, holding Dusk close to my shoulder like I had dolls when I was much, much younger.

“Do you want to spar? The movement may be good for you,” Ed offered.

I thought about it for a little bit, then shook my head.

“No, I think that I’m gonna go for a run though. Do you want to join me?”

Ed thought for a second, then nodded.

“Sure.”

I changed, and we started running. I was definitely getting faster – I was never going to be the fastest, my legs were too short – but all the running and exercise with Ikki over the past few weeks was beginning to have an impact.

Small, but noticeable.

We ran towards the beachy parts of the city, near where Liz lived.

“Do you wanna have dinner at Liz’s place?” Ed asked as we drew closer. I shrugged noncommittally, and let him lead us in that direction.

Liz’s family’s house was a beautiful mansion.

Maybe it wasn’t technically one per the dictionary definition – I wasn’t sure – but it was what I’d call a mansion, at the very least.

Two stories, plus a sizeable attic, and over two acres of land, which contained all sorts of various training courts, and even a backyard shed – though it hurt me to call it a just a shed, given it had air and light spells in it, and was bigger than my bedroom – where they kept various equipment for exercise.

I’d been here a few times, since Ed and Liz had been friends in high school, and Liz and I’d hit it off pretty well.

Still though, I’d not been there all that many times, so it was still an impressive sight to see. Ed pressed a button at the front gate and sent a pulse of mana into it.

I shifted from foot to foot as we waited, and had to tell Dusk no when she asked if she could install a button like that on top of her head to enter her astral plane.

Before too long, though, Liz’s grandfather walked down the stone drive and waved his hand. The gate opened, the wards pulling back to allow us entry.

Until I’d met Orykson – and maybe Meadow or Ikki – Liz’s grandfather had far and away been the most powerful person I’d ever met. He was an arcanist, and one of the leaders of his guild, which was a powerful naval auxiliary force in its own right.

He was tall – probably where Liz had inherited her height – with dark brown skin. He’d gone bald long ago, though he still had a well-groomed silver beard, and eyes that were kind, but firm.

He’d also been much nicer to me than Liz’s actual dad, who was a bit… thoughtless.

“Good evening, Edward, Malachi,” he said, nodding slightly to us. “I didn’t realize that you two would be joining us this evening.”

Dusk made a sound that resembled boiling water, and I raised her up to him.

“They’re mad I didn’t introduce them,” I explained. “This is Dusk. She’s…”

I trailed off as the elderly gentleman teleported in front of me. He extended a hand to her.

“Oh, hello Dusk.”

She waved and let out a sound like wind in the trees, asking him if she could sample his mana.

I was trying to work out how he’d teleported. I knew he was a lunar mage, like Liz. It was fairly dark out here… Maybe he’d somehow managed to use a Shadow Step spell though the ambient darkness?

Was that even possible?

“How’d you teleport?” I blurted out. He winked at me conspiratorially.

“Come now, young man. An arcanist has to have some secrets. Just as, I’m sure, you have your own. An astral plane at your age and gate…”

He sent a pulse of fifth gate mana into Dusk, who sucked it into them. Unlike the mana that she’d taken from my dad, she sat and began to chew on it.

It must be the higher gate mana, I reasoned. When she’d been being… born? Created? Either way, when that had happened, it was catalyzing their creation with an abundance of power, but it wasn’t trying to add more to her – that had been a byproduct.

Now, I figured that this was rather like when I’d fed the key some Structure-ore. Dusk would need to process it before she could integrate it into herself.

Lunar mana… I hoped it wouldn’t get darker or colder in there. That would ruin it as a garden space. But more water wouldn’t be bad, definitely.

The older gentleman ushered us through the gate and into the house. I took my shoes off, and we joined them all at the dinner table.

Their dinner was nice, roast chicken, who’s skin had been stuffed with sage, thyme, and rosemary, along with potatoes, and green runner beans. Simpler than I expected from such a wealthy family, but very tasty and well prepared. Midway through dinner, Dusk had fallen asleep, so I’d left her in my shoes so that I’d remember where she was.

Was the shoe the best place to remember her? Maybe not, but it worked for me.

“Put any thought into the mentalist idea?” Liz’s father asked as the meal was winding down.

I froze, the beans falling off my fork, then it registered. He wasn’t talking about Alvaro’s suggestion.

When I’d come out as a man, and Liz had come out as a woman, his dad had found it endlessly amusing, and suggested that we pay a mind mage to switch our bodies.

I hadn’t found it very funny. Neither had Liz.

But that hadn’t stopped the man from continuing to make his jokes.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance and stabbed some more green beans, then shoveled them into my mouth.

“You’d agreed to not make that joke anymore,” Liz’s grandmother said, while Ed and Liz shifted uncomfortably in their chairs.

Liz’s grandmother was a study in contrasts with her husband. Where he was large and broad shouldered, she was tiny and shrunken. She was only in her sixties, but all of the pipe smoking that she’d done made her look even more wrinkled than Meadow was.

“It’s just a joke,” Liz’s father said, “don’t be so sensitive.”

The table was tense for a while after that, until Liz pushed her plate away.

“I’m done,” she said. “Ed, let’s head out back. Want to join us, Malachi?”

“Sure,” I said, quickly spearing several more bites of beans and potatoes before rising.

“I think I’ll join, if you don’t mind,” Liz’s grandfather said, rising as well while dabbing at his lips with a napkin.

Ed and I looked at Liz, who nodded, and so the four of us headed outside. As we left, rather than head towards the sparring ring or exercise equipment, Liz's grandfather instead began to stroll towards the well-tended garden.

“I’m sorry about my son,” Liz’s grandpa apologized as we walked.

“It’s not your fault,” I said, shrugging. “I’ve heard worse, to be honest. It’s got to be worse for Liz.”

“He’s an idiot,” Liz said. “I’m looking forwards to when Ed and I get our own place.”

Ed blushed a bright red, and nodded his agreement. I grinned, seeing the opportunity to needle him a little bit.

“So quiet, Ed? You must not want to live with Liz. What, is she not pretty enough?”

Ed smacked my stomach lightly.

“Shut up,” he said, though he couldn’t help himself from laughing.

Curiously, I swept my mana senses over the garden. There was a bit of mana seeping throughout, but only ungated or first gate.

For a moment, I was surprised, but then I remembered that most people in Liz's family had lunar or desolation mana. They wouldn't need a garden to harvest mana.

"So, my soon-to-be son in law," Liz's grandpa said, a spark of mirth in his eyes. "How has your progress with the Skin of Stone spell I gave you gone?"

Ed flushed again, it touching his ears some.

"Good, I think," he said. "I've been using it as a centerpiece for my power, and rebuilding my first gate."

"I see, I see. A good idea. Elizabeth. How does your full gate desolation enhancement go?"

"It's… Fine? I mean, I've almost got the work done, and then I can master and ingrain it."

"Very good then. Try to have it done by Frost-Creep."

He then looked at me.

"And you, young man. Last we met, you'd not yet begun your journey, and yet you're already near the peak of first gate. Do you plan to follow in your brother's footsteps?"

I bit my lip, thinking.

"Well… For right now, I'm working to ascend, then I can use a full gate spell to begin transitioning. I also need to build a staff, or maybe a domain weapon.'

"A good use of effort indeed," he said, nodding. "What do you plan to do next? What will you do with the power you earn?"

"I don't know," I said honnestly.

"Think about it," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "You're still young, and there's nothing wrong with trying many paths. It's only bad if you try to walk down a path that leads to unhappiness."