Chapter 33: Third Member
Velves wood, the strongest and most durable wood, is used to make wooden weapons. And any wooden weapon is a perfect object to practice mana manipulation.
The reason is wooden weapon can hold up to a certain amount of mana and not more than it since it breaks. That certain amount of mana is when the manipulated mana is visible through our naked eyes in that object.
Mana is not visible through our naked eyes, but you start seeing it when you accumulate it. The Colour of the mana is colourless, but when you try to manipulate it, a very slight tint of blue is also visible in it.
And if you further manipulate it, one starts using magic.
She has the greatest amount of mana among the students here. But because of that, she lacks control over her own mana, so the wooden weapons broke.
Everyone has their own struggle, eh? "Sigh."
Her mana manipulation is not stable, and if this goes on, she will also break this one.
I walked up to her,
"You are panicking, so why not calm yourself first?" as I said that to her, she looked at me and stopped her mana manipulation.
"Stay calm so that you can use your mana more efficiently." As I said that, I closed in the distance between us.
"Umm… Your name?" I asked her.
"Sa – Sasha, Sasha Keliths."
"Sasha, hand me over that wooden sword."
An awkward silence....
"Don't worry, just hand me over. Trust me." I smiled and said that.
She then hands over her wooden sword to me.
"Now, close your eyes and take a deep breath and relax." ….. "Come on, come on, do it," I repeated.
Following my words, she took a deep breath.
"Now, slowly open your eyes."
As she opened her eyes slowly, I pointed the swords the grip to her.
"Now take this and once again try it. But this time, take your time and don't worry about your surroundings."
Sasha grabbed the sword's grip and took it from my hand. She once again started mana-manipulation.
"Close your eyes, and do it slowly and steadily," I asked her to do it, and this time without hesitation, she closed her eyes and slowly started pouring her mana into it.
And surprisingly, she was able to do it in less than one minute. She opened her eyes,
"Easy, isn't it?" I said,
She turned towards me,
"Umm…"
"Oh, I haven't told you my name yet; I am Arturo."
"Thank you very much, Arturo." She said that with a joyful smile on her face.
"My pleasure, well then see ya." Saying that I left from there and soon after our class ended.
All the students, including me, were on their way back to our classroom. As I was stretching my body, I heard my name being called out by Instructor Reign, "Arturo Kei."
I turned around and waited there as he approached me.
'Yes, Sir?"
"How did you help that girl, Sasha? She has been breaking the wooden sword until you walked up to her."
So that's what he wanted to ask me, huh?
"Sir, I didn't do anything special for her. It was her own hard work and determination; all I did was that I asked her to calm herself down and nothing else." I replied, and suddenly he started laughing,
"Bwa-ha-ha-ha, sorry, sorry but just asking them to be calm and --" he then looked at me, who was not reacting at all and was just standing there looking at him laugh off.
"So, you are not lying, and you seriously told her to just calm herself?" He asked me, and I replied with, "Yes."
"I have never seen anyone telling someone to stay calm, and like – they succeeding especially in something like mana manipulation. But this is interesting in its own way…." As he spoke, he closed the distance between us by walking to me
"…. Arturo Kei, you are quite an interesting fellow; I will be keeping an eye on you." He said as he passed by me, walking and giving me a look.
"Yes, Sir," I replied….
That was some…. weird sh*t?
"Sigh," guess I will head back.
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We were done with today's classes, and now it's past 2 pm, which means we can do anything we want, like go train, etc.
Ash and I discussed and decided that we would meet in the cafeteria after the classes.
Upon reaching the cafeteria, I met with Ash, who was already there waiting for me.
"Hey, sorry for the wait." I apologized,
"Don't worry, I too just arrived." He replied.
"Well, then let us continue our hunt for our third member?" saying that, we left the cafeteria and once again started looking for our third member.
As we walked around trying our luck, I saw Sasha coming from the front. She saw me and came to me.
"I couldn't thank you properly that time because of hurry… But now I saw you coming, so I want to thank you properly."
"….. Thank you very much, Arturo. Sorry I cannot do more than saying thank you through words." She bowed and thanked me.
"Your 'Thank you' is more than enough, and I didn't do anything. It was your own hard work and determination. So be proud of it."
"No – But…" I interrupted her and said,
"Baa…. no 'Buts' and all."
She slightly smiled and replied, "Yes."
I have been curious about one thing…. I guess I will just ask her.
"Umm, Sasha, aren't you in any party?" as I asked her, she became unhappy.
"No – No one would want someone like me, who – who cannot control their mana; not even do something simple like mana manipulation." She became disheartened and looked down at the ground when she replied.
But for me, it was a chance; A chance to ask her to join my party. I felt relieved.
"If that's the case… Why don't you join my party, Sasha?" I stated.
She looked up to me and started saying, "But I am not that good at mana controlling or magic how can I –"
"You said you wanted to thank me, right? So why don't you join my party and that way you can also thank me properly."
"But is it okay for someone like me to join a party?"
I stretched out my hand to her and said, "Yes, it is totally okay for you to join my party. So, Sasha, why don't you trust me once again and join my party?"
She then finally reached out my hand and announced, "Yes, I will join your party, Arturo," with a smile on her face.
All that disheartened feeling of her vanished, I am sure about it.
"We gladly welcome you to our party, Sasha Keliths."
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Sasha's POV:
Everyone is looking at me; everyone is looking at me. It's the same, it's the same look…. I – I will break this one too.
That's when I heard this voice,
"You are panicking, so why not calm yourself first?"
I took a glance at the direction from where I heard it. It was a boy from my class, but he doesn't –
He started closing the distance between us and asked me, "Umm… your name?"
"Sa – Sasha, Sasha Keliths." I hesitantly told my name.
"Sasha, hand me over that wooden sword." He said, pointing towards the wooden sword that I was holding.
I hesitated, but then again, he spoke.
"Don't worry, just hand me over. Trust me."
And so, I handed it to him.
He then asked me to close my eyes and take a deep breath. I was confused about what he was asking me to do. But I followed his words. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
He then asked me to open my eyes slowly. And as I was slowly opening my eyes, I saw him handing over my wooden sword back to me and saying,
"Now take this and once again try it. But this time, take your time and don't worry about your surroundings."
I took it back and tried it once again. Yet again, he told me to close my eyes and slowly and steadily start it again.
I trusted his words and did it. Soon enough, I was able to manipulate my mana into the wooden sword without breaking it.
I did it, and I felt relieved. I turned around and thanked him, but then he also left from there. I kind of felt guilty about not thanking him properly enough though he helped me do it.
Even after that class, I couldn't find the proper time to thank him.
After today's classes, I was walking back to my dorm. That's when I saw Arturo coming from the front. I saw and walked up to him, thinking that I could now properly thank him for this time.
"I couldn't thank you properly that time because of hurry… But now I saw you coming, so I want to thank you properly."
"….. Thank you very much, Arturo. Sorry I cannot do more than thank you through words."
But this is not enough for what he did for me.
"Your 'Thank you is more than enough, and I didn't do anything. It was your own hard work and determination. So be proud of it." He replied,
"No – But…" He interrupted me and said, "Baaa….. no 'Buts' and all."
He really has a different look than others. I slightly smiled and said, "Yes."
"Umm, Sasha, aren't you in any party?" Arturo suddenly asked me this; I didn't want to lie, so I replied,
"No – No one would want someone like me, who – who cannot control their mana; not even do something simple like mana manipulation," I said this while looking down the ground and disheartened.
"If that's the case… Why don't you join my party, Sasha?" he said.
"But I am not that good at mana controlling or magic how can I –" I looked up and said, but again he interrupts me and said,
"You said you wanted to thank me, right? So why don't you join my party and that way you can also thank me properly."
"But is it okay for someone like me to join a party?"
He stretched out his hand to me and said, "Yes, it is totally okay for you to join my party. So, Sasha, why don't you trust me once again and join my party?"
Can I really join his party? Does he really need me? All those questioned wandered around my mind. But I felt like I could trust him. I feel If I follow him, everything will change. It doesn't matter if it is good or bad.
But I will never regret it!!!
I reached out my hand to his and said, "Yes, I will join your party, Arturo."
"We gladly welcome you to our party, Sasha Keliths."
And thus, I joined his party.