Mana.
The life force that created Llyria and every living creature on it.
As an energy, it had no beginning or end, it was a cycle of conversion that existed before the beginning of time and would remain after every being took its last breath.
Every person on Llyria was affected by mana. From the poorest farmer to the richest noble. All were able to perform some kind of magic, each on a different scale of varying uniqueness.
Children generally begin to show signs of magic cognition at the age of three to four. The mana circulating their system from birth, made itself known by occurring in small bursts of magical output as a reflex. It was an important milestone that would show the child's natural talent.
It was during this time, parents paid close attention. It was very easy for a child to hurt themself if they displayed magic with an affinity to fire.
Anna cleared her throat under the intense stare of both the King and the Head of the Court of mages. Prince Azra had just finished his latest checkup on his heart proving all functions were normal.
The problem was that Azra was now five years old and had yet to show a hint of magic cognition. This put Anna, his personal maid in a rather difficult spot. It may seem like she wasn't paying enough attention to the prince when that wasn't true. She had been watching him like a hawk and the lack of development was just as baffling to her.
"Nothing to report yet again. Well, that really is strange."
Scott scratched at his chin in deep thought before turning to Matteus, who's face gave nothing away save for the crease between his brows.
"Perhaps he's just a late bloomer? That sometimes happens, although it is rare. Could it be a problem related to his underdeveloped heart? A byproduct of it?"
Scott continued to mumble to himself while Matteus became more frustrated by the minute, and Anna's ignored presence made her shuffle in discomfort.
Noticing this, Matteus pinched at the taut skin above his nose bridge.
"If there are any discrepancies with his heath or if he begins to show signs of magical cognition, bring him here. The Alfonsi blood is potent, and these outbursts can happen quickly. You may leave."
"Your Majesty, Head Mage."
Anna was quick to leave the stifling room.
There weren't many maids stationed on the upper last five floors of Asteri. As such, she had been trained extensively on all matters of etiquette and knowledge needed. Training to become the maid of the Crown Prince was even more rigorous.
Anna was beyond shocked when she was awarded the privilege.
Her steps quickened when she realized that the young Prince was alone in his room right now.
In the spacious area, Azra rubbed his hand against the cool, glossy surface of the gem that decorated one of the plush cat's eyes. The blue color was pretty, it reminded him of the sea Anna had shown him drawings of in the books they often read.
Out of all the things his dad had given him, he loved the books the best. They all sat on a floor to ceiling shelf taking up an entire wall of his room.
Maybe for my next birthday I should ask dad for a library.
"Your Highness, may I come in?"
"Anna!"
"Your Highness, what shall we be doing today?"
Azra stood before the tall slender brown haired woman. Anna was always nice to him, she answered all his questions and didn't scold him when he picked at the greens on his plate. (She would probably be executed if she did.)
Although he had never met his mother he imagined she'd be just like Anna, if his father's words were anything to go by.
"Can we go to the gardens again?"
"Of course we can, but first let's get you dressed."
Arza pouted after his change of clothes. He hated formal wear. The shirts were stiff and uncomfortable, weighted down with gems and gold accents. The pants were itchy and the shoes were hard to walk in.
When he asked Anna why he needed to wear all this just to go outside she only responded with 'you must always look the part your Highness'. Whatever that meant.
Still, he kept his mouth shut since the gardens situated outside Asteri were something straight out of the fairy tail books. The flowers and trees that grew there were well tended to and for some reason, in their presence, Azra felt like he could fly if he just tried hard enough.
He excitedly pulled at Anna's hand, ignoring all the maids, butlers and knights that bowed in his presence.
Anna couldn't help the way the corners of her mouth tugged upwards. The little Prince was such a contradiction, he was so smart for his age yet completely oblivious to the status he held. Though she supposed he wasn't at fault for that. It was simply the way he grew up. Why would he question why people bowed to him?
The gardens seemed to sparkle with mist. Asteri regularly floated through clouds, the condensation more often than not left a lovely scent of fresh rain behind.
"Anna, what's this one called?"
"How about this one?"
"Why is that tree purple?"
As the two meandered about the flower beds on stone pathways, Anna answered every question diligently.
The sound of rushing water from a nearby fountain seemed to take over the silence when Azra finally went quiet.
They found themselves in a circular enclosure. The beds there stood out against the others filled with all colors of the rainbow. The flowers were wilted, drooping downwards and drained of color, leaving behind a dark murky gray that stained the petals. Fallen leaves scattered the area and Azra watched as one skid past his foot.
"Oh my, it seems these have yet to be removed. I believe these are Juliet roses, they are extremely rare and delicate. Any type of mana fluctuation will result in their death, it seems this set failed to reach their full potential. Such a shame, besides being a beauty to look at; I remember hearing that they were Lady Adaline's favorite."
"My mom liked them?"
"Yes, I remember the senior maids complaining of aching feet because she would sit here and watch them for hours on end."
At the time, Anna was a maid of lower status in her early twenties. Still, she managed to sneak away from work to see the flowers too, curious as to what could be so enchanting about them. She and Adaline shared something in that aspect, the roses were truly lovely.
Azra approached the dying plants. They were dry and fragile to the touch and even the thorns felt dull, but somehow they weren't dead. Azra could still feel them struggling to survive in the dense mana.
If I can just make some of that go away then I will be able to see what mother saw.
Determined, he wrapped both hands around one of the flowers stems, not even wincing at the pricks to his palm.
Please, please, please... Let me see what she saw.
"Your Highness! You shouldn't hold it like-"
Anna's breath cut short and her eyes widened in shock.
It was like watching life in reverse.
The stem in Azra's hand straightened and turned a vibrant green, new leaves popped through his fingers as the shrinking flower bud grew in size before blooming into a large rose; it's petals turning a delicate shade of peach to light pink. Like a chain reaction, the other plants followed suite. Livening to bloom beautifully.
It was nothing short of a miracle. Anna was stunned into silence until Azra let go of the now healthy plant. He turned to her with a big smile.
"Mom was right, they really are pretty."
"Your highness!"
A thin trail of blood trickled from his nose before he tilted to the side, face going slack as he fainted.
Anna was quick to catch him in her arms. Moving swiftly with her wind magic, she rushed him back into the palace.
Not far from the scene, a little boy with neatly styled black hair and equally black eyes blinked and rubbed his eyes as if it wasn't real. He stood from the tall shrubs he was hiding behind
Dressed in formal wear, seven-year-old Quentin Kingsley hadn't expected to see this when he wandered away from the waiting room his father told him to stay in.
Inside the secretarial branch, Adam could feel a headache forming at the side of his temple.
Quentin repeated the scene over and over in his head but the same word always came up to describe it.
"Beautiful."
"Beautiful indeed."
Not far behind Quentin another set of eyes were watching, and with a happy little smile on his face he slunk back into the palace. This information would definitely be useful to him, in more ways than one.