The othere two just looked at him. "Are you sure? There will be no changing it once we are done." Merle finally responded.
"Yes, I'm sure. I dont want to forget where I came from regardless of where I go."
"Very well. Now you must make the magic acknowledge your name. This would normally happen as you grew but things being what they are this will be slightly different."
"OK and how would I do that?"
"Close your eyes and envision the scene im going to describe to you. First there is earth at the bottom. Followed by a layer of water like the sea ontop of that water is a flame like a flower, above that is the air. Than put yourself as the stem of the flower connecting everything together. Once this is firmly in your mind's eye than cut the scene perfectly in two. On one side is the sun and on the other is the moon. This will embody every element and you should feel the mana build inside of you. When you can no longer contain it force it through that image while saying your name."
"This sounds overly complicated. How do I know this won't make me explode or something after all the two of you are strangers."
"Ugh. Haven't we been over this? You are the strongest lead I have on the race I am looking for."
"Yes, to find the true king but you never stated the purpose." replied Nona.
"Fine. The true king is part of the dragon race. Do you know anything about them?" Merle responds with aggravation.
"Only the myths that they once existed and were exiled from our world. Even if the myth is real I couldn't be one."
"The myth is only partly correct. Dragons are the source of magic just as any other creature from the times of myth are. But they were the strongest and the other races feared them and their ferocious appetite. As a result they banded together. They managed to trick a dragon into betraying the rest of its kind or so they thought. This dragon was actually sacrificing himself to save the others. After they were banished the eggs remained. This lone dragon hid the eggs as he was being hunted. It is said that one of those eggs had a gold dragon and with this dragon all the others will be able to return."
"So your desire is to bring the dragons back? to what end?" Nona was becoming even more confused.
"Without dragons magic isn't being produced as fast as its being used. This fact is evident in our very own country as the number of magicians continually declines and the strength is no longer a fraction of what it used to be. Our enemies are taking advantage of this fact."
"Cool thanks for the history lesson but that doesn't tell me what your goal is or how I fit into it or why I should trust you."
"Look you have to make that decision on your own. My only objective is to help restore the dragons so we can restore balance. Honestly I don't know why your so scared of this. Its not like you have anything left to lose. So either take on the name you chose and come with us or send us on our way and stay here." Merle finally had enough of the back and forth.
Nona stopped trying to pry and finally gave it some thought for himself. These people really had nothing to gain by offering them what they did and yet something told him that the image they wanted him to conjure up would be risky.
With a silent sigh Nona closed his eyes and envisioned what was asked of him. Once the image was complete a familiar warmth spread throughout his body. It didn't burn but rather it seemed to be a gentle caress filling a hole he never knew he had. His very being seemed to be welcoming this warmth and he felt changes occur inside of himself.
It took several minutes before the warmth turned into pressure. The pressure kept building, but some sense inside of himself kept telling him it was not enough yet. So he trusted his instincts and allowed it to keep building. Finally it got to the point where he could barely contain it.
Pushing it through the image he had conjured in his mind he spoke his name. The power burst out of him leaving him feeling drained yet as he felt the defeat of failure he noticed he felt strangely connected to everything.
"Well have you made your decision?" Asks Merle since there was no outside scene of power release
"I have done as you asked and there doesn't seem to be any problems. In fact I feel different."
"Good most magicians feel this way when mana flows through them. It will make your mana recovery better than not having one. So I guess a congratulations is in order you now have average mana recovery and retention."
"Great so what is next?" Everything seemed to have worked out but there was a nagging feeling that there was more to the image.
"Well we should rest here for a few days so you can recover the nessasary mana to actually travel. After all you have used quiet a bit more than you are used too." Merle immediately responds.
"Durring this time I will get a sword for you so that you can begin training with it." The armor chimes in.
"What is the point of a sword when I can just use magic?"
"Magic should not be used for everything there is drawbacks even if you are a dragon."
"Such as?"
"A normal person has to use the same amount of energy as they would if they did it normally, but with the dragon it is their very life force that they use. Though, it will replenish the fact remains if you use it to much you will kill yourself and at the very least cause permenant damage. Ontop of that regardless of your race the intent of the magic will corrode your mind." The matter of fact reply comes from Merle.
"Intent of the magic?"
"Yes. For example if you create a fireball with the intention to destroy than even if you have the power to do it you will be prone to use magic for such ends in the future and the effects will pile up exponentially. This in turn will lead you to being the type of person who only wants to destroy the world."
"Well that is scary. How do I avoid that?"
"The primary way is to use magic with the intent of who you truly are or want to be. The second way is to have strong will power to be able to counteract the effects it has. Until you know more having a physical weapon may prevent unnecessary personality conflicts."
"Oh, that seems like a major draw back." Concern dripped from Nona's voice as he though about the times he's used magic recently.
"It can be so always be sure of the magic you are casting. After all that is only if you successfully cast the spell. Misfires are far more dangerous. "
"Uh.. o-ok. I'll be sure to be careful, but uh is there a smaller sword I can learn with? I do not believe I have the strength to swing around such a massive weapon." Using magic sounded scary but relying on such a heavy object for protection did not seem like an ideal option.
"Hahaha. No boy I wouldn't teach you how to use this sword anyway. Only those of the skeletor race has the ghostlight to be able to draw out its full potential. I will start you with a regular hand and a half sword typically the standard bastard sword. This will allow you to decide if you need a shield and such." Responds the armor.
"This sounds like a lot of work." Nona was disheartened by the amount of work that laid ahead of him.
"Well of course. You will be going from barely existing to actually having a life. Nothing cqn be accomplished in a day. The question remains will you run from it or run towards it." A small smile was on Merle's lips as he said this.
"Fine I guess it really doesn't matter." After all no one else cared what he did may be he could get answers for himself this way. Sure Merle believed dragons did exist but that doesn't make it true let alone me being one. Nona's thoughts refused to look at the opportunity with a positive light.
"Well thats not exactly the spirit but who can blame you at this point. I cqn only hope that this opportunity will benefit you." The grimace on Merle's face was plain to see.