The next morning wasn't any better than the day before. Jered woke up with feverish symptoms, again. He did recover a good chunk of his mana, but whenever he used it a slight pang of pain would course through his body. It just meant that yes, he could cast a few spells, but only if the situation required it, otherwise he had to rest as much as possible.
Evelyn had also cautioned him not to use his mana needlessly, and that she would take care of their basic needs until he was in top condition.
"Open your mouth," she cradled his head with one hand, while with the other she cast a water spell straight into his mouth. It must have been a Neophyte-Tier sub-spell, he noticed, similar to his 'Everyday Charms'. He obeyed her and drank the water pouring from her fingers. Once he was done, Evelyn wiped her thumb across his lips, smiling slightly, "We have our liquid needs taken care of, but there are no animals to hunt as far as the eye can see."
That was indeed a huge problem. Thanks to mana, they could go on for quite a while without food as long as they had water. Nonetheless, it was still a pressing concern—especially for Jered, who was mana-diseased.
"What if we climb all the way to the top of this mountain?" he offered, clearly aware of how far-fetched it was, "Yes, it sounds ridiculous, but it would be a more rewarding gamble than just walk around until we find something."
"I don't know, Jered. Those who live in the sky would not be welcoming of our presence. Besides, it would take us a very long time to get to the peak without flying."
He nodded thoughtfully. It made sense. He was really curious to know what was up there though, "So what do we do?"
She slumped next to him, "Ugh, I don't know... for now just focus on your recovery. As soon as you're up to snuff, we'll come up with something," she closed her eyes, drifting off shortly after. That was reasonable. She had been out for hours, scouring through the plants and the ground. Unfortunately, nothing edible was found—of course, they didn't think that they'd find something, but it was better than staying cooped inside while twiddling their thumbs.
Jered was not particularly drowsy, so he opted to meditate, get used to his third vein, and practice his 'Mana Sense'.
----
"How are you feeling?" Evelyn asked as soon as the sun was up. Just like the moon, the sun was not any different from Earth's.
Another day had passed, and thankfully Jered was already feeling better, "I'm fine. My mana pool is almost filled up," most importantly, he didn't feel any pain from stirring his mana. He could finally make himself useful.
She nodded with a huge smile on her face, "And... Jered? Can I ask you something?"
He arched one eyebrow up.
"Umh... it's been since we got here that it bothered me, but... did you... unlock your third vein?" her voice held a great deal of skepticism, which was understandable. She had made quite the fuss when she found out he was an Adept Magician. Rainey was quite surprised too, though she didn't think too much about it. Being an Elder Magician at 16 was like being a senator at 10.
Evelyn was past her 30s, and was still an Adept Magician.
It spoke volumes about his progress.
"Yes..." Jered shrugged, "I think I managed to unlock it when I went overboard with that spell..."
"..."
"I thought we were going to die, maybe that helped me unlock it? Who knows."
"..."
"Can you please say something?"
Evelyn blinked, "I... I don't know what to say. This is quite a lot to take in..."
He tilted his head, "Is it?"
"Umh... the youngest Elder Magician I know of is Klain Dustling. He's part of one of the strongest organizations out there, and... he's 26. How old are you?"
"16..."
"You two have a 10 years gap, yet you've already caught up with him. Do you see where I'm going with this?" she stared at him deeply, "This is not an incredible feat. It's a ridiculous one. Magicians are very longevous, hence why we take time to get to the next level. It takes insight and a lot of time for our hearts to open up a new vein. Yes, there are elixirs out there that could help someone shorten the time, but only royals and very powerful Magicians can afford it."
"I get it, I get it... I did something incredible, wow... whatever."
She frowned, "No, you don't get it. I have no idea if this is going to have a positive or negative outcome for your future... but..." Evelyn sighed at the lack of emotion in his eyes, "You don't care, do you?"
Honestly, he couldn't give a fuck. Rainey wouldn't let anyone or anything get in the way of his rise to the top. And he didn't think that Ashy Petals would get rid of a talent like him for no reason. Maybe the leader would feel threatened, but as far as he showed loyalty and willingness to work as a puppet, he'd get maximum protection.
It was a temporary solution.
"Don't worry about it, Miss Smith. Since I'm back to health, let's resume our exploration. I don't want to stay in this place for too long if possible."
The consequences of leaving Jasmine alone were rather grim.
Evelyn sighed one last time before nodding, "Yes, now that you're an Elder Magician, we're safer."
----
They climbed out of the cave, Evely yelping rather bashfully when a good section of her blouse was ripped apart, "You okay there?" he asked, pointedly ignoring the bountiful mounds hidden behind her black bra. She quickly composed herself and nodded. Once they were back on the ground, they scanned their surroundings. Of course, Evelyn had already scoured their immediate area, but being in an unknown, magical land, anything could happen.
"I really don't like this silence," Jered scowled as he flared his 'Mana Sense'. It was a pointless waste of mana since there was no hiding place around them, but it was just to be extra safe, "At this point, we might as well pick a direction and walk until we find something. It's not like we have better alternatives. Staying in the cave is out of the question without a stock of food."
"I wonder if there are any villages nearby..."
"Nearby? We'd probably have to walk for the better half of a day before we find any clues, and that's the best outcome possible," he ran a hand through his hair, "By this time those at Ashy Petals should know we've gone missing, though, with such a potent fire spell, they might think we're dead."
Evelyn stared at him, "Which means no one is going to look for us..."
"I'm afraid so."
She sighed, though she had somewhat expected it. Whoever had sabotaged the Manaport would have insisted on calling off their search for her. She doubted they'd come to look for her even if they knew she was still alive. Archiland was just too big, after all, "Let's go back the way came."
Jered didn't have any problems with that, so he readily followed her.
It hadn't even been five minutes before she stopped, groaned, and decided to take off her heels, "A woman ought to look good even in the direst situation... but this is an exception."
He grinned, prompting her to wrinkle her nose at him.
"So, Jered... who have you learned magic from?"
It was obvious there was someone behind his sudden rise to an Adept Magician.
"Oh, a friend of mine introduced me to him."
"Hmm, does this Magician live in Ashford Town?"
He smiled sadly, "Oh, no no. He's dead. He left me with some parting advice, a few books, and a dream..."
That piqued her curiosity, "What kind of dream?"
"I want to..." he looked skyward, losing himself in his fantasies. He could already see himself wielding peerless power, fame, and wealth, "... change this world."
She applauded him, "That's a commendable dream. I'm sure that with your talents, you'll be capable of doing anything you set your mind to, Jered."
"What about you, Miss Smith?"
A good-hearted chuckle flowed out of her, "Please, call me Evelyn when we're out of school. Besides, in terms of magical power, you're my senior," she looked at him knowingly, "And... I would like to inherit Ashy Petals—my grandfather is the leader—and take it to new heights. I want it to become the most powerful organization around! Haha, but that's probably a wistful dream. There's no way I could ever do that. There are many titans in the magical world, some of them have been around for centuries if not millennia."
"That's really ambitious, Evelyn," and Jered respected that, "Is that why they want you dead? Because you're next in line to inherit the organization?"
She nodded, "Yes... Ashy Petals is a patriarchic organization. I'm not the strongest Magician after my grandfather either, and the fact that I'm a woman doesn't sit well with the more prospective candidates."
"Aren't they afraid of the repercussions of assassinating the leader's granddaughter?"
Evelyn scoffed, "There are no repercussions if they don't get caught. And with the Manaport gone, there is no evidence that someone was trying to get rid of me. And as much as my grandfather loves me, he won't be swayed by his emotions when dealing with the organization's politics."
"What if I support you? Would that make a difference?"
She smiled brightly at him, "Yes, it would. But I fear that they would target you too."
"As long as they're not Royal Magicians, I'm sure that I'll survive."
"The upper echelons of the organization are made of four Elder Magicians. Not only are you outnumbered, but they have more experience too."
"That is something I can easily rectify, though it would still take me quite some time. Besides, I don't think they'll act again anytime soon. As soon as they see we're alive, they're gonna take a wait and see approach, in case you telltale everything to your grandfather."
"Jered, I have a question."
He looked at her, and they made eye contact, "Hmm?"
"I get that I was the one to recruit you, but why do you want to help me so much? It's not just because I'm your teacher or because of what we went through in Little Spirit Forest, right?"
Jered shrugged, "If I help you get to the top, wouldn't you save me a spot to be there with you?"
She burst out laughing. That's exactly what she wanted to hear from him. She had very little support from the members of Ashy Petals. Having someone as powerful as Jered say made her more confident towards her future in the organization. Slowly, the way she looked at Jered started to change. Here was a young man who despite his tender age, had accomplished something most adults had yet to get close to, herself included.
There was no hint of arrogance in his eyes, only pride, and a burning ambition to achieve more. It really suited her taste, though he was way too young for her. Still, that didn't stop him from becoming very pleasing to her eyes, especially now since they were allies. Given a bit more time, Jered would definitely stand there among her grandfather's peers. And when that happened, she had to make sure she was by his side.