William is now in his bedroom; the party has ended, his mother and the rest were really surprised and happy that he was able to walk.
'Did you have to say that in the middle of the birthday party? Couldn't you have postponed it for a few hours? Like, right now?'
William said, while gritting his teeth. Due to the voice's interruption, he couldn't properly focus on his birthday and mostly thought about his new mission.
[Sorry, I thought it would be a good cliffhanger, haha!]
The voice said as it chuckled, further irritating William.
TSK
He gritted his teeth and clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Anyway, what is this mission? And why do I have to do it?"
[The mission helps you lift the seals on your powers. Which will help you protect your family from threats!]
The voice answered honestly, but William didn't respond to him and squinted his eyes in suspicion.
[Look, I have already told you, I am you. Your powers personified. I am here to help you regain your sealed powers!]
William didn't reply but continued to squint his eyes. 'I want to believe him; he has never lied to me, after all!'
SIGH
"...Okay, tell me what the mission is," William said as he sighed.
[It is simple, really. All you have to do is gain the ability to see mana!]
The voice stated, telling William about the mission.
William frowned as he had never heard the word "mana" before. "Mana?" he asked the voice.
[Yes, mana is the energy that's around you. It is the source of power for everyone in this world. That is what made those trinkets float before.]
William nodded as he took in the information. He recalled the trinkets floating around while showcasing his images.
"Is this mana what made them float?" he asked.
[Yes, mana is the one that made it float in the air. Not just that, it can also do many things.]
William was now intrigued; he wanted to know more about this mana and check whether what the voice said was true or not.
"Then what should I do?" he asked, ready to start and finish this so-called mission.
[Well, you have to meditate and sense your surroundings; then you will find them!]
"Meditation?"
[Meditation is letting go of all your thoughts and focusing on something. I will guide you as you meditate. That will help you understand more than me just stating it!]
"Okay," William said, waiting for the instructions.
[Not now, it will be a problem if your mother comes. So let's wait for a few minutes!]
The voice said, making William frown again, "Why can't Mother know about this?"
[Because what you are doing is against the rules of this world. From what I have observed so far, the beings here do what you are doing now at the age of ten. By then, their souls are mature enough to absorb mana into their bodies!]
"Then isn't telling Mother good? She will praise me even more!" William stated while a smile bloomed on his face. He could already imagine just how much his mother would be shocked and how much she would praise him.
[And that's why it's a problem. You will have too much attention on you!]
"But it's mother! She wouldn't tell anyone!" William protested; he wanted to be praised by his mother.
[No, even if your mother might not tell anyone, it's best to keep it secret!]
"Why?" he asked; he didn't keep secrets from his mother.
[Haaah! How do I say this to you? Hmm, think like this: by hiding your powers, you can surprise your enemies if they attack. By revealing your powers now, even if it is only for your mother. There is a risk that others might find out and prepare for it. So, tell me, do you want praises from your mother, or do you want to save her if ever an enemy attacks?]
William bit his lip hard; he wanted to tell or show his mother, but, 'What the voice said is also true! I could save her by hiding my powers!'
The voice didn't interrupt William's thoughts and allowed him to do his thinking.
William thought for a few more moments and said, "Okay, I will do as you say and keep it a secret from mother."
[Good! Now, we will have to wait until we confirm that your mother is a sleep!]
"And how to confirm that? Mother will not be sleeping with me from now on...." His voice trailed in sadness as he thought about it, he wanted his mother to sleep beside him.
[Its a good thing that your mother is doing that. Otherwise, we would have a lot of trouble hiding your training from her!]
The voice exclaimed, making William snort at him in annoyance.
[As for how to confirm that your mother is asleep. It's simple, we have to wait!]
"We have to wait?" William asked with a question mark on his face.
[Yes, it's now a few minutes before your bedtime; if your mother comes, she will definitely do so before your bedtime. So, we will have to wait until it's past your bedtime!]
"Oh!" William made an 'O' shape with his mouth while praising the voice's intelligence inwardly.
A few minutes had passed, and the door to William's bedroom opened, and his mother walked in.
She wore a nightrobe, indicating that she was preparing to sleep. She walked toward William with a small smile on her face and took him into her arms from the cradle.
"My baby can walk now!" his mother exclaimed as she hugged him tightly. "I am so proud!" she said in joy. His amethyst eyes shone as she recalled the scene where he called her "Mama" and walked toward her.
'Hehehe, I can still see it in front of my eyes. Good thing that I ordered the maid to record the whole event!' she mumbled inwardly.
She then looked into his eyes; his amethyst eyes met hers. "My baby is growing up so fast!" she said as she placed him back in his cradle.
"I am sorry, little one. Mama also wants you to sleep beside her. But I have to do this: 'you have to grow up strong and independent after all!' " she exclaimed as she reassured herself that her son was going to be alright.
William watched as his mother leaned her head toward him and kissed him on his forehead. "Sleep well, my little William. Mama will come pick you up in the morning!" she whispered as she put him to sleep.
William did his part and acted as he fell asleep. He didn't want to do this but, 'I will do anything if it means that mother will be safe!' he resolved inwardly as he continued acting.
William's mother glanced at him one last time as she walked out of the room, her fists clenched as she desperately stopped herself from bringing him with her.
William waited for a few more minutes before he opened his eyes. "Can we begin now?"
[Yes, we can!]
"Then tell me, what should I do?" William asked as he gazed at the sealing.
[First, sit upright!]
The voice instructed. William followed the voice's instructions and sat upright with a little difficulty.
[Now, place your hands on your knees!]
William followed the voice's instructions to the dot and placed his hands on his folded knees.
[Now, close your eyes and try to concentrate!]
William nodded his head and closed his eyes, but there was a problem: "How do I concentrate?"
William didn't know what it meant to concentrate, and the voice didn't explain it either.
[Hmm, try to focus all your attention on one place; between your brows will do for now!]
The voice explained patiently. William did exactly as he was told and tried to focus on the place between his brows.
Gradually, he began to feel a pressure between his brows. "What is this?" William asked the voice. The pressure wasn't uncomfortable, but he still wanted to know.
[It's your mind focusing on the muscles between your brows!]
The voice explained, "It feels like someone is pressing there with their thumb!" William said as he continued to concentrate between his brows, increasing the pressure even further.
[Yes, it is supposed to feel that way. Now, try to spread that focus all over your body!]
William frowned a little, but still heeded the voice's instructions and slowly spread his concentration.
At first, he spread it throughout his forehead. Then he slowly started to expand to his cheekbones; he could feel it working as the pressure expanded. 'This is getting hard!' William exclaimed inwardly; with every inch he expanded, it was getting harder for him to keep his focus.
[Don't worry, you can do it!]
The voice encouraged, making William bite his lip and try harder. He tried to concentrate further and successfully expanded it, covering his entire face.
'Whoa! What is that?' William asked as a picture formed in his mind. It had chubby cheeks and small, yet soft, silver hair.
[That is your face! Now try to feel the air surrounding your face!]
William was amazed by the voice's explanation, "I look like that!?" He asked, curiosly.
[Yes, you can praise your beauty another time; now concentrate!] the voice urged.
"Geez, fine..." William said as he concentrated further.
A few minutes passed in silence as William focused even more.
"Wait, I think I see some thing....."