The night sky dazzled me since I was an infant in the brothel, I recognized none of the constellations.
But I committed each bright star to memory.
I want to get a close look at those stars and compare them to the stars I gazed at throughout my life.
I once heard space is the final frontier, for me it felt like the doorway to something much larger.
The rain came down dampening the atmosphere and greying out all the bright colors of the world.
As if taking out her anger on me Isla beat me ruthlessly to the point where I wished I passed out.
She got me in armbars and broke my arm faster than I could shift my body weight not ending there she would get on top of me and beat me until I passed out.
When she thought I passed out, I can hear her sobbing over me.
This was a hard life she was born into, she has endured what no one should.
Mid-winter hunting was difficult as most beasts migrated south or east for better weather leaving us with a lot of fish from different rivers, and spending a lot of time in the Vilage.
I take this time to fashion new weapons.
I asked Reem to give me his purest Iron and I purify it some more making steel.
I condensed it and flattened it over and over I do this for two days before finally creating a sixty cm inch and a-half blade.
I add a mana stone to the hilt right where the balance is and then cool it.
I do these three more times creating four swords two of them slightly curved and the other ones are straight.
Cooling and creating hilts out of a comodo dragon-type beast that had hardened scales from digging underground.
It was Japanese Kodachi tempered thousands of times.
Watering them down and using natural oils I gave one curved one and one straight one to Isla.
"They are extremely sharp" I warned her.
She fell in love with them on the first swing.
Our combat style emphasized a lot of rolling and slashing so these blades were the perfect compliment.
"Try channeling mana into it" As she did an astonished look came over her face.
"It feels so smooth," She said as the mana danced up and down her blade. "Thank you, Ambrose… for everything" I gave her a rare smile.
Honestly, if she wasn't always around me growing up, I wouldn't have helped her.
It would be a pity to throw away the only human willing to be with me even when I was weak, I could be morally flexible but leaving Isla would have left a bad taste in my mouth.
Three months have passed swiftly, and I am able to handle twenty-seven percent of the current which would have been impossible for the same time last year.
If I had to put a number to it my life force would be at one hundred percent, double what I had originally and then some.
I still wasn't absorbing mana actively I felt that I wasn't ready, but I needed to get a move on with my plans.
That week we clear out all the pelts and game along with our pots and other trinkets we collected over time.
After everything was cleared, I drop bombs inside destroying everything.
As we look at the place we lived and had our memories destroyed we stepped forward towards a new future.
We wait at the inn with Algom and his family for a week waiting for the mages to come by and pick up recruits.
One day in the early morning I heard a commotion outside, I stepped out of the inn and see a throng of people rushing towards the gates.
High in the sky I could see something gently floating downwards, it was a flying Yacht.
I go out to the west gate and It seems like everyone is there.
Sling my pack I grab everything I need, so does Isla.
My pack is smaller now, I slung it across my body like a purse with a space attached for my waterskin.
It is easier to fight with and I will not be taking much with me on this trip, all the mana stones have been used.
The ship was a metallic color and I could see huge mana stones embedded into each of the sides, twelve on each like ores sticking out of the side.
Each mana stone was nearly half my size and that was just what I saw sticking out, they all looked the same as if someone molded them.
When the ship lands, three beautiful Olim women come out along with a Terra woman and two Terra men.
The procession that came to greet them was silent almost as if the gods themselves have descended.
"Bund! It's good to see you my friend" said the Olim women with dangerous curves.
"And you as well, all the mana grass and other materials have been prepared I know you want to be on your journey quickly".
He had a tone of respect never used with me around, I chuckle at this.
"How many core mages do you have this time around," She asked him.
He pointed at Isla and said "Just the one" All the mages looked at Isla curiously.
"Child come over here please," the woman said gently.
She stressed being polite and non-threatening not wanting to scare Isla.
Isla walked over all eyes on her.
"Please show me your mana core", the woman said gentler than before.
Her core rushed out of her body
"Dear gods it's already white"! said one of the men behind her.
"Genius," said another Olim woman.
"You can come with us, are you ready now or do you need more time"? looking back at me almost as if wishing I would pull her back she said "I am ready now".
The Olim woman didn't miss this and looked at me curiosity twinkling in her eye.
"I am sure you will see him soon child, come with me let's get something delicious and talk".
As she walked she made a platform of mana which she and Isla stepped on drawing gasps from the crowd.
A short Terra woman stepped forward, her petite frame covered by a grey robe and hood.
With a loud voice that didn't match her, she said "Anyone under fifteen will be allowed to apply as a non-core mage.
You will be running over five thousand miles instead of going on this ship so think carefully".
"It is not uncommon to die along the way please consider this opportunity with utmost seriousness, when your ready come right here in front of me we leave in ten minutes".
Another group of children all of them a mix of Terra and Olim came in front of the women without hesitation.
After ten minutes she nodded "Good, my name is Alia and this is Rumi" She said pointing at the tall Terra man next to her.
"We will be escorting you along the way and teaching you" Her hood was removed revealing a baby face with a cute button nose.
"Stick close, don't lag behind and you will survive" Without waiting for us to ask questions she turned around and started jogging west.
She wasn't going at a fast pace but she was maintaining the same speed giving the children time to talk to one another.
"I heard that Olim runt didn't even get into the competition in the village why is he here"? asked a long-haired teen who looked too old to be fifteen.
Another older Terra boy said in a voice loud enough for me to hear, "I heard he sold his ass to Bund for a chance" A fit of laughter came over the group.
We stopped when the majority couldn't continue.
Going into her pack Alia took out some mana grass and mana crystals, creating a mana ball encompassing them both.
"Can anyone tell me what these are?" All the children were astonished at the magic show.
A more giant Terra boy identified them as mana grass and mana stone.
"Excellent, now watch closely" She cut her finger with her teeth and dropped some blood into the ball, and then used some fire to heat it up.
To my astonishment, the mana crystal that I had tried to melt for so long finally changed its molecular structure turning into a liquid after some time.
I was as wide-eyed as the rest of the children.
Taking the liquid, she separated it into twelve different drops and placed them in front of us.
"Take off your shirts" She commanded and although some of the girls were a little shy they did as she asked.
She placed the drop of liquid over our diaphragm directly on our skin.
"Now sit cross-legged and meditate".
A cool sensation was coming from my diaphragm as I take in the energy around me, the liquid acts as a magnet for world energy even guiding it in my body towards my mana core above my diaphragm.
It made sense why the mage association would monopolize the manufacturing and mining of both these materials this was basically getting control of the toughest most flexible material known to mankind.