Once I opened my eyes in the real world I looked outside and saw it was about midday. I needed to get to work. I checked out the inn and went to a weapons store; I bought a couple daggers, leather weapon straps, a few small sickles. Then I stopped by a clothes store and bought myself a dress, a black cloak, a fresh pair of gloves, a bag and an eye-patch. I did a double check, making sure I had everything I needed. I didn't get all this from just the money I earned from the herbs, but I ended up pick-pocketing a few people who were probably now wondering where all their purses went.
Once I made it back into the inn, I sat on the bed silently. I had already changed into the clothes I bought. I wore a short flared black dress with a pair of tight underpants. Under the hem of the dress I tied a leather strap to both my thighs, stuffed in the pockets were the daggers and sickles I bought. My long hair tied in a ponytail with a black ribbon, my red eye covered with a black eye-patch, to finish the look I had, similar to my entire outfit black gloves that ran to the middle of my upper arm and the black ring remained on my middle finger of my left hand.
Just like I expected, the security became even more tight and no adventures below B-rank were allowed outside. Realizing the situation was dire I had to hurry, I planned to stay in the inn without leaving for a few days using the money I got from selling the herbs.
'Hey, Al, can you tell me how to put the light stone and black stone in my mana core?' I asked Al through mind transmission.
'Yes, do you plan to practice from today?'
'No, I just want to get started and tomorrow I plan to run away,' I relayed my plans
'.... Where do you plan to go?'
'Falcosia, it's the most dangerous yet safest place for me'
'Ok, hold the two stones in either hand and then calm your body and mind, once you do that imagine the feeling from that day. Try to remember the feeling of weightless and its calming effect.' I was impressed listening to his words. My constant barrage of questions somehow honed his horrible teaching skills into decent ones.
I took in a few deep breaths and tried remembering that sense of euphoria. I don't know how long I laid there, but soon I drifted off into a black abyss. The same weightlessness and sinking feeling appeared again. I sighed, enjoying the calm; it was pitch dark but instead of scaring me it gave me a sense of comfort.
'Good, now absorb the power of the stones,' Al's voice rang beside my ear. Or maybe he was far? I could never tell.
"Absorb the power? How?"
'..... Perception,'
"Huh?" Did Al go back to his old teaching practices?
'.... You can't explain it you just feel a resonation with them' he fumbled, I couldn't help imagining him blushing, while furrowing his brows.
"Resonation? Al.... where did you learn to teach?!"
'.....' Already knowing I won't get a reply from him I 'tried' to do as he said, trying to 'resonate' with the magic stones. After closing my eyes for what felt like eternity I.... felt nothing!
"Um... Al? What exactly am I supposed to be feeling for?" I asked awkwardly.
'..... You just have to connect with them, kind of like forming a friendship,'
"Um... Al... it's a stone can't I just bring it forcefully into my mana core"
'That would just damage your mana core, each element has its own characteristics so resonation is the process in which you familiarize yourself with it, that then helps your mana core understand how to gather that element because it already resonated with it.'
"So you want me to become friends with the elements?" I asked unsteadily.
'Yes' I exasperatedly sighed after hearing his words, it seemed like this would be harder than I thought.
"Al, let's postpone this for now," Al grunted in response and I slipped out of my mana core.