When I was a kid, my parents took me out with them to explore the city. The scents of newly bloomed flowers and freshly baked pastries filled the air, marking the beginning of spring. The season was a specialty in Blanc, and many travelers would come just to experience the annual Goldfire Festival.
During the event that spanned an entire week, people from different locations and backgrounds would share a part of their culture as well as freely give flowers to anyone they wanted. It truly was an exquisite sight to behold as gold would fill the skies and smiles would occupy the city.
As my parents were busy catching up with a family friend at the local bakery, I heard a collection of voices not to far from where we were. As my curiosity rose, I hurriedly sneaked away from the busy streets and wandered into a field of white hydrangeas where I saw the backs of three boys huddling around something.
"How did you manage to do that?"
"Yeah, it's not easy for rocks to hit something that's moving!"
I noticed the earth moving around where the boys were standing which made it clear that at least one of them had some kind of ground altering ability. What was the point of using their powers at an event such as the festival? As I got closer, I heard a chirp. It startled me and at first I assumed that it had come from a tree or the fields, but looking more carefully, I noticed a baby raven on the ground crying.
One of its wings looked slightly injured as it tried to move away from the boys, but the earth surrounding continued trapping it no matter what. I then noticed the intense mana coming from the group, but I couldn't pinpoint who it originated from. Mana like that only came from nobles or people with intense training, and these boys looked too young to have that sort of experience.
"You guys feel that intense mana too, right?"
"It's definitely not from you guys."
"No way, can it be from the bird?"
Intense mana from the bird? That can't be. No animals carried intense traces of mana as far as I knew. If they did, they'd be familiars. A baby raven couldn't possibly be a familiar, and even if it was, how did it stray from its owner?
"Let's see where the mana lies in this raven."
"We can't possibly do that!"
"What, are you scared? Maybe we can split the mana amongst us. It feels like a lot to go around."
As soon as I heard that, I knew I had to step in before it was too late. I immediately yelled out a "Stop it!". The boys turned around instantly, setting their sights on me. I could tell by the look in their eyes and the redirection of a portion of the mana's influence that I was their new target.
I backed up slowly as the boys edged closer to me, readying their magic either to threaten me or to actually harm me. I didn't want to waste any precious time, so I steadied my resolve and prepared myself to strike as well if needed. Whether my powers wanted to work with me now was the real concern.
I knew I had to stop time in order to prevent myself from getting hurt by any sudden moves, but before I could, a strong gust of wind occurred, somehow avoiding me but sweeping the boys further and further away until I could no longer see them. I heard their yells as they were blown away, but I figured they'd be okay with just a few minor bruises.
I stood there for a brief second eyeing the direction they flew towards and questioning the sudden change in weather. The area filled with hydrangea petals and the gold dust in the sky floated behind where the gust of wind had gone, almost like a scene from a film.
As soon as I remembered the injured bird, I hurried over to it, cupping it within my hands and checking it for any major injuries. He seemed to be fine enough that he’d survive, so I let out a sigh of relief.
Having him in my palms, I could feel the strange onset of mana that confirmed that the massive influence must've been coming from him. Such mana felt somewhat comfortable, but I wasn't sure what basis I had to make that conclusion. I didn’t question it at that point. I was simply relieved that he was okay, and he leaned onto one of my thumbs as if to show his gratitude.
“It’s going to be okay. I got you now,” I assured him, stroking the top of his head with my thumb.
Soon enough, I heard my mother calling for me, so I decided to head back to my parents with the baby bird. If he had an owner, we had to find them and return him, but first I wanted to get his injuries looked at. I didn't know it then, but my life would change drastically from that point on.
During the event that spanned an entire week, people from different locations and backgrounds would share a part of their culture as well as freely give flowers to anyone they wanted. It truly was an exquisite sight to behold as gold would fill the skies and smiles would occupy the city.
As my parents were busy catching up with a family friend at the local bakery, I heard a collection of voices not to far from where we were. As my curiosity rose, I hurriedly sneaked away from the busy streets and wandered into a field of white hydrangeas where I saw the backs of three boys huddling around something.
"How did you manage to do that?"
"Yeah, it's not easy for rocks to hit something that's moving!"
I noticed the earth moving around where the boys were standing which made it clear that at least one of them had some kind of ground altering ability. What was the point of using their powers at an event such as the festival? As I got closer, I heard a chirp. It startled me and at first I assumed that it had come from a tree or the fields, but looking more carefully, I noticed a baby raven on the ground crying.
One of its wings looked slightly injured as it tried to move away from the boys, but the earth surrounding continued trapping it no matter what. I then noticed the intense mana coming from the group, but I couldn't pinpoint who it originated from. Mana like that only came from nobles or people with intense training, and these boys looked too young to have that sort of experience.
"You guys feel that intense mana too, right?"
"It's definitely not from you guys."
"No way, can it be from the bird?"
Intense mana from the bird? That can't be. No animals carried intense traces of mana as far as I knew. If they did, they'd be familiars. A baby raven couldn't possibly be a familiar, and even if it was, how did it stray from its owner?
"Let's see where the mana lies in this raven."
"We can't possibly do that!"
"What, are you scared? Maybe we can split the mana amongst us. It feels like a lot to go around."
As soon as I heard that, I knew I had to step in before it was too late. I immediately yelled out a "Stop it!". The boys turned around instantly, setting their sights on me. I could tell by the look in their eyes and the redirection of a portion of the mana's influence that I was their new target.
I backed up slowly as the boys edged closer to me, readying their magic either to threaten me or to actually harm me. I didn't want to waste any precious time, so I steadied my resolve and prepared myself to strike as well if needed. Whether my powers wanted to work with me now was the real concern.
I knew I had to stop time in order to prevent myself from getting hurt by any sudden moves, but before I could, a strong gust of wind occurred, somehow avoiding me but sweeping the boys further and further away until I could no longer see them. I heard their yells as they were blown away, but I figured they'd be okay with just a few minor bruises.
I stood there for a brief second eyeing the direction they flew towards and questioning the sudden change in weather. The area filled with hydrangea petals and the gold dust in the sky floated behind where the gust of wind had gone, almost like a scene from a film.
As soon as I remembered the injured bird, I hurried over to it, cupping it within my hands and checking it for any major injuries. He seemed to be fine enough that he’d survive, so I let out a sigh of relief.
Having him in my palms, I could feel the strange onset of mana that confirmed that the massive influence must've been coming from him. Such mana felt somewhat comfortable, but I wasn't sure what basis I had to make that conclusion. I didn’t question it at that point. I was simply relieved that he was okay, and he leaned onto one of my thumbs as if to show his gratitude.
“It’s going to be okay. I got you now,” I assured him, stroking the top of his head with my thumb.
Soon enough, I heard my mother calling for me, so I decided to head back to my parents with the baby bird. If he had an owner, we had to find them and return him, but first I wanted to get his injuries looked at. I didn't know it then, but my life would change drastically from that point on.