When we arrived at our mansion, my mother, Princess Sofia, attempted to put me to sleep, her calm voice and sweet touch a familiar comfort. I was wide awake, mind still scrambling from the day. Come Kaidën, time for bed—she purred, guiding me to my bedroom.
"You had a lot going for today, you need to go rest."
I was just too restless as my mind was bursting with thoughts, like what if?
I agreed but the moment my mother walked out of my bedroom, I walked out to the hallway to find out more secrets.
Duke Arin, my father, had gone to his office, the door cracked open. I crept up closer, the sound of papers rustling, my father muttering curses at the pestering insect.
I opened the door, and for a second my father startled; For a second we just looked at each other, the energy between us thick. What the hell would Kaidën be doing here? Yes, my father said in a gruff voice.
"You should be in bed."
But I didn't back down. I entered through the study, with my gaze landing on the books lining the shelves and papers littering the desk. I demanded,
"Tell me about mana." In a form voice, "What is colorless mana? My father eased his expression and nodded — sit down, he said, waving in the motion of volume. We then spent the next several hours poring over books and papers trying to resolve the issue.
****
Later that day, I entered the family library through the secret passage I discovered last month. A I entered, a musty odors and warm lighting from luminescent orbs surrounding me as I made my way through the narrow corridors. The library had been a repository of knowledge, with book upon book on the thousands of shelves, each one placed with care and perfectly preserved.
I wandered through the stack, my hands on the spine of the books, my hands following the embossed letters and designs. I had never been more interested in the library, and I spent hours combing through the nooks, finding forgotten information about colourless mana and hidden truth about it.
I had gone out that night to discover more about mana and about magic. I had a million questions in my mind since my baptism. What was mana, to begin with? Why did I, personally, possess colorless mana, and what would that do to my life in the future?
I spent hours browsing the bookshelves, glancing through the titles and authors, searching for any book that might be able to offer the answers that I sought. The only thing other than the silence that I could hear was the occasional creaking of the wooden shelves or the faint whispering of pages turning.
I glanced about and discovered that I had surrounded myself with ancient books with their leather covers worn with age, inscribed with odd symbols and glyphs. I opened one with caution, and the pages creaked with age as I began to read. The book contained an archaic language, but I was still able to read the text, finding information about the magical past and the different kinds of mana.
I had been searching for three hours, when I stumbled upon a little leather-bound book in the corner. In fine silver letters, "The Essence of Mana" had been inscribed on the cover. I opened the book and the pages rustled as I began to read.
Mana, as explained in the book, was a form of essence that humans are born with. Baptism would activate it, and the color associated with the mana would determine the magical affinity of the user. I learned about the different kinds of mana, each with their respective color.
Most powerful, fire-spoken red mana, potentially feared as causing destruction, relied on the power to create ghastly fires that could potentially reduce cities to dust. Borne by their bearers, they gained the respect and awe that their abilities brought, their spells making their bearers almost unbeatable on the battlefield.
White, whitish yellow-colored, second-order magic, light magic, was prized because it had the power to dispel evil magic and heal wounds. Light had the ability to cleanse polluted energies, cast out the evil, and restore the balance to the earth. Its practitioners had their services called upon because of their ability to heal wounds and ward off evil.
Lighting magic, in a dark purple hue, was extremely powerful, with the potential to discharge bolts of electricity and shatter rock. Practitioners of it were quick on their feet, with quick reflexes, and could easily avoid attacks, striking where needed with finesse.
Black magic, as the name clearly suggests, with the dark, ominous hue, frightened humans because it controlled the shadows and the dark spaces. Its practitioners were ostracized, shunned, and their powers labeled as evil and wicked.
Wind magic, snow white in hue, had its affinity for the air, holding the power to dominate the heavens and the breeze. Their masters became quick and quick-witted, with the power to parry attacks and strike through unattainable angles.
Blue water magic, which was peaceful in character, had the property to be tied to water, having the power over the seas and the tides. Its masters had the peaceful presence, with the power to heal cuts and soothe troubled minds.
And last but weakest amongst all, colorless mana. This one had no ability to select an element. Colorless mages had the ability to perform basic spells with all the elements, but the ones who had it were limited, and hence, colorless mages became considered as low-class mages.
****
As I finished my read, the library grew dark, the luminescent balls losing their radiance as night began to fall. I knew I had to go back to my room, as I didn't want to be caught. I put the book back on the shelf and made my way back through the secret passage.
I could hear muffled sounds coming from my parents' room as I drew close to my room. I tiptoed closer, my curiosity getting the better of me. This was when I caught sight of my father, Duke Arin, on the bed, his hands pressed against his face, sobbing his heart out.
I had my mother, Princess Sofia, beside him, attempting to console him. My father, though, spoke, his regret and pain-racked tone slicing through the room:
"It's my doing," he replied, his voice cracking. "I'm a lowborn, I possess no mana. I knew it was a gamble, that I married a royal. And because I wasn't blessed with it, I succeeded in bestowing that lack on to our child."
I stared at my father, Duke Arin, who sat on the bed with his face buried in his hands, crying hard, and my heart felt an overwhelming sorrow.
I shuddered with resolve that coursed through my veins, remembering the hardships I had faced in my past life. I had never known my father, who had perished when I had not even been conceived, and my mom had been all alone to raise me up. She had been my pillar, my guiding star, but fate had been unkind to her. I had been 16 years young when she had been diagnosed with cancer, and I had sat and watched as she withered away, helpless to stop the inevitable. She had passed away on my birthday when I had turned 17, and I had been alone in the world.
The pain of that defeat still lingered, an injury that would never heal. And yet in this new life, I had been offered another chance, a chance to attain the love and security of a family. And seeing my father weep, I knew that I had to make the most out of the day. I would not be held back by the past of my family. I would struggle for a better future, even on the cost of all that I had known up until this point.