What's To Come (3)

  Julia’s abrupt dismissal left everyone —especially my grandfather—stunned.

  His confident smirk had yet to fade however, and going by the mischievous glint in his eyes it was obvious that he had more than enough gusto to reinforce his position.

  “Isn’t that a little cruel Julia? I mean look, your son seems to be on board with the idea.” Mavis proclaimed, settling a finger on me. Our eyes met for a moment and she giggled playfully, finding some kind of delight in my expression.

  “Mother you know how he gets when it comes to these kinds of things. I don’t want him to turn my son into a battle freak.”

  “I think it’s quite the opposite, my dear,” Mavis retorted quietly as she scooted closer to my position and snatched my hand away.

  “Its been years since you left this place, and truth be told it hasn’t quite felt the same without you around. When we heard that you had a child a few years ago, we felt hopeful again, thinking that things might return to normal for a while but it didn’t quite play out that way. I think I speak for the both of us when I say that we’re genuinely happy to have our grandson here.”

  “I...”

  Unable to counter her parent, Julia’s expression softened.

  “Let’s continue this inside. It won’t do to have our deity and princess both standing out in the open like this.”

  “D-deity? Princess?” Jytte’s ears stiffened and Myra’s eyes slowly swiveled around our peculiar gathering. When they eventually stopped on the petite figure of Fiona’s form she fluttered back out of shock.

  “P-please forgive our rudeness lady Fiona!!” Landing on top of Jytte’s assuming head, she forcefully gestured her clueless companion into a bow. Accompanied by Oliver and Myra, Jytte followed through with a formal—albeit somewhat stiff—dip of her head.

  “Fufu, it’s quite alright my dear. It’s not like this is a formal gathering or anything, so you can feel free to carry on just as you’ve been doing.” the deity said simply, giggling in a way that would never betray even the smallest hint of her true nature.

  “Looks like you two haven’t really changed all that much either. You’ve certainly found yourself with quite the unique bunch Julia.” Mavis, my newfound grandparent playfully teased her bashful daughter.

  “N-Now’s not the time for jokes mother; we have some serious issues to discuss.”

  Her faced flushed with a ripe color I hadn’t seen before, it was different from how her face typically tended to brighten up on occasion. Though I wasn’t familiar with it, I knew it could only mean that my mother’s demeanor was slowly starting to adjust itself.

  “Then, shall we?” Giving a nudge towards the door with his chin, Erwin wittingly beckoned us forth, and as soon as my parents registered the implication, the stepped across the needlessly large doorframe, signaling the start of the discussion to be had.

  Once again, I’d found myself in somewhat of a familiar situation.

  Somehow, ever since I arrived in this world, I’ve always found myself attending these kinds of discussions. My parents, grandparents, a supposed princess and a literal deity had gathered inside the confines of the strange treehouse.

  Surprisingly, the inside of the abode was big, but it didn’t feel hollow.

  The space exuded a warm, rustic sort of charm with thick wooden beams that framed the walls and enclosed the setting in an encapsulating way, like that of a large cabin. Various forms of furniture and seating, like plush moss-covered ottomans and elegantly woven wicker chairs, were arranged around a simple wooden coffee table, where a pair of candles stood aimlessly for the moment.

  Shelves lined with books and trinkets rested against the walls, while the small windows let in slivers of radiant midday light.

  Since most of this discussion was going to revolve around my current situation, I’d been made into a focal point of sorts—tucked away neatly in Mavis’ embrace. Her hand stroked my hair rhythmically as we sat across from my parents, who observed the sight with slightly differing reactions. While Oliver seemed to not mind it very much, Julia’s twitching expression was mimicking a smile to the best of her ability, however...her eyes weren’t smiling.

  Jytte and Myra had taken the opportunity to excuse themselves from the proceedings out of courtesy, although their reasoning must have been partly due to the participants involved. Even if Fiona had told them to be more casual, I suppose it would be hard for anyone to engage her like that right off the bat.

  “So what do you think Liam? Heston is nice, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be great if you could stay here with your grandma for a while? As long as you’re around I promise I’ll give you lots of sweets.” Mavis playfully proclaimed her intent with a hint of mischief in her voice.

  “How long can I stay here for, grandma Mavis?”

  Her smile deepened.

  “Why, as long as you'd like, my child. There's nothing more Erwin and I would want, right, dear?”

  “Naturally. It’s about time you had some experience with our culture.” The man gave a vigorous nod, mimicking Mavis expression.

  “You two...” Julia broke in with a trembling tone... “could it be that you’re trying to bribe my four-year-old son by any chance?”

  “Wait, wait, Julia let’s discuss what we originally came here for first, we can leave that part until the end, right?”

  She spared Oliver a glance and ultimately gave in to his placating gesticulation.

  “Fine.” My mother heaved a heavy sigh. “Let’s get the main agenda out of the way for now.”

  Miraculously, my father had somehow managed to wave away her growing irritation, though unlike his hurried reaction her parents were apparently amused by their daughter's frustration.

  “Well, it looks like your family dynamic is still at play even after all these years. Watching you like this reminds me of Julia in her younger years.” Fiona interjected from the corner.

  Given how close the five of us were in terms of relative proximity, her position alongside the clueless Irina made them stick out as being quite isolated from our conversation.

  “Of course.” Erwin nodded knowingly. “Even though she’s gotten this big, Julia will always be our little girl, even if she has her own child now. And in regards to that, I must thank you for keeping her safe all this time, Oliver. You are one of the few humans I hold in high regard, I see I made the right choice leaving her with you.”

  “I’m simply keeping my word to you both. That is what we agreed on when you decided to let her leave here after all, and I couldn't be more thankful for it.” Oliver answered gratuitously, a smile beaming on his face.

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  “N-never mind that for now! Let’s talk about Liam’s condition.”

  “Ohh...look Liam, your mother’s face is turning red, it means she’s embarrassed.” Fiona giggled mischievously, settling a playful finger on Julia’s blushing face.

  “I know grandma, it happens a lot so I’ve gotten used to it.”

  Before my mother’s face could completely overheat from the abundance of teasing, Erwin dissuaded the eruption of laughter with a bold clap.

  “Alright, now onto Liam’s condition....it’s his mana core, right?”

  “You knew?” I asked, speaking up with a dumbfounded glare.

  “It was obvious. Anyone whose spent enough time refining their mana core would be able to sense the abnormal mana fluctuations coming off of you...isn’t that right Fiona?”

  Erwin slowly turned his head towards the deity feigning ignorance. “I’ve already healed all of his physical wounds so I simply thought it would be best to have his grandfather take care of the rest.” she replied dismissively, a reaction that was wholly unlike the small girl by her side.

  “Is there something wrong with Liam’s mana core?” Whilst tugging on Fiona’s clothes, Irina muttered her question with focused, upturned eyes.

  “Not exactly Irina. He’s having a little trouble with it, but that’s all. It’s nothing his grandfather can’t handle, right Erwin?”

  “Of course. Don’t tell me you’re having doubts about your master now of all times, Irina.” Erwin probed nonchalantly, the subtle hints of a small grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

  Bobbing her head vigorously, the elven princess nodded with all her might. “No, master can do anything after all!” She wore an expression so bright it almost seemed too pure for this world.

  “Good, good. Now just watch, I’ll show you what else your master can do.”

  A slight distance away, I heard someone heave a reluctant sigh. Julia’s shoulders drooped a little as she shook her head and said “I hope he’s not drilling any weird habits into the kingdom’s princess...”

  Despite her reluctance however, her father continued blatantly undeterred. Apparently pleased, the giant of a man rose from his seat and beckoned me over cheerfully.

  “Alright Liam, come let your grandfather have a look at your core.”

  His command, while not entirely brusque left me feeling a little unnerved. I glanced back up at the smiling Mavis as she released me from her lap with a gentle, cradling motion. The moment my feet touched the ground, I swiftly scuttled over to Erwin, who had already crouched in anticipation.

  “Now then, lets have a look shall we.”

  Erwin unfastened the oversized robe draping over me and secured a small knot at my waist, leaving my upper half completely exposed. That, in itself didn’t feel very embarrassing since I was still practically clothed, however the obscure sensation of having five different pairs of eyes ogling me from all directions was a far cry away from being called comfortable.

  My body felt unnaturally stiff before Erwin’s piercing gaze.

  He lightly jabbed my abdomen with two fingers, then slowly nodded his head as if he was sure of something.

  “I knew it. Your mana core’s broken—literally.” He stated matter-of-factly.

  “It’s broken?” I repeated the word unconsciously, unsure of how I ought to react. “Does that mean I won’t be able to use mana anymore, grandfather?”

  The room held its breath.

  It wasn’t immediately clear which of my parents’ gazes had suddenly grown ten times heavier, but I certainly felt a sorrowful stare being sent my way. Then again, it could have come from the both of them.

  “No, you’ll be fine.” He replied swiftly, without even the smallest hint of sarcasm lurking in his tone.

  A large, heavy breath of relief came from behind me. Sparing a glance over my shoulder, I saw Julia’s chest slowly reverting back to its unnaturally large size. They must have been happier to hear that than I was.

  “So, I’ll be able to use magic again, right grandfather?”

  “Well, it’ll take some time for your core to completely heal itself, but yes you’ll be alright once I tweak it a little bit.”

  I felt my face gradually grow hotter at his response. My elation must have been obvious, as everyone around me began to mirror my childlike, overly ecstatic expression.

  “Good for you, Liam! Now we’ll be able to practice magic together.” All of the sudden, I found myself within Irina's reach, she’d already taken hold of my hand prematurely and seemed to be making plans for an uncertain future. Or at least, that’s how things would have been if I didn’t share the same sentiment.

  “Sure, I would like that too.” I said softly as I returned her frivolous handshake.

  “Hold on you two. We’re not done yet.” A deep voice declared from above us, its owner imposing yet surprisingly genteel at the same time.

  “Father, you said he’ll be able to use magic again, but what exactly is wrong with Liam’s mana core?” Julia piped up eagerly from her chair, shifting her posture to assume a more attentive position.

  “It’s actually quite simple—he’s pushed his core too far, too soon,” Erwin replied, his gaze shifting to encompass the room.

  "When a mage awakens their mana core, their body doesn’t quite know how to handle it. It perceives the core as a newly manifested organ, which is why level-one mana cores can only absorb and emit mana in very basic ways. In Liam’s case, his newborn core couldn’t properly regulate his enormous mana pool. And from what Julia told me about the incident in that human town, I’m fairly certain I know why this happened."

  “You mean...it was because he pushed himself too far against those mercenaries?” Oliver inquired in a rasp, almost dejected tone.

  “Exactly. He’d only been a mage for two weeks, but that encounter forced him to expend his enormous pool of mana on full throttle for hours on end. His underdeveloped mana core couldn’t withstand the strain of having to channel and purify such vast quantities of mana for extended periods, which is why the overload eventually caused it to crack. Its almost like he was trying to fit a giant river into a small cup— too much pressure, too little control. That’s why he’s struggling to expel and absorb mana as intended, his core has completely lost its sense of equilibrium.”

  “Ah, I see. That’s why he awakened his Signum so early.” came the offhanded comment from the side. From her isolated position, Fiona continued with the subtle undertone of aged wisdom in her voice. She must have already anticipated the synchronous turning of heads in her direction—clearly, the cause and effect of her claim couldn’t be separated.

  “The Signum is simply an indication that a druid has awakened to divine power—or more specifically, the remnants of my power sealed within them. In simpler terms, it acts like a secondary mana core that gradually absorbs ambient mana. When activated, it forces the user’s primary mana core into overload, flooding it with raw, unrefined mana that their core cannot purify. As a result, they temporarily take on the traits of a divine spirit—similar to my own. Pure-blooded druids can access this power quite easily, but for hybrids like Liam, it’s more of a survival mechanism. It typically activates in response to extreme mana depletion, which is what I believe happened here. Since his core was malfunctioning, his Signum activated prematurely to save his life by acting as a backup mana core.”

  “U-unbelievable....” Oliver’s less than subtle expression of shock rang within my earshot. However...

  "Not to worry! There's a fairly simple solution to this, bahaha!"

  My surprisingly gleeful grandparent gave me a galloping slap on the back without allowing any sort of gloom to take hold.

  I’d already been certain that Erwin was a veteran mage and yet his explanation only went to reinforce the fact. In a matter of moments, he managed to deduce both the cause and cure of my regrettable condition, all while playing it off as being nothing of great importance.

  “How exactly...are you going to fix this grandfather?” shrugging off the impact of his slap, I poured a large chunk of my curiosity into that question.

  “It won’t take much.” Erwin replied, dangling his right arm.

  “Your core no longer has any sense of scale when it comes to both your mana input and output, and the reason for that is your excessive mana pool. All we have to do is seal your reserves to a level that your core can properly gauge. If we do that, your core will naturally be able to repair itself and adjust over time.”

  “You’re going to seal my core? Won’t I get weaker if you do that?”

  “That’s a good question Liam. Technically yes, you’ll be weaker in terms of your output, but only until your mana core has finished its recalibration. I’ll lift the seal once your core is done repairing itself.”

  Slowly turning around, I observed the eager expressions of a few in attendance. Registering Oliver’s nod alongside Julia’s smile, I returned my sights to Erwin, conveying their unanimous approval on my own.

  “If that’s how it is then I guess my core needs to be sealed for now. I don’t mind so feel free to proceed grandfather.”

  “Hoh? What a surprisingly mature answer. I like it, you’ve got guts Liam. Since you all seem to be on board with the idea, I guess we can begin.”