Chapter 6 -- Mana pill

Zane couldn't believe his eyes, for the first time in his life he was actually looking at something. It was a white, round , glowing object the size of a seed. Zane wasn't sure whether it was really white or his eyes where just showing him white.

It released a soft glow which seemed to bounce off the surrounding area about five centimeters from it. Zane could actually see the outline of Mr Carter's fingers holding the object.

"This is Master Willow's newest concoction" the physician said. Willow was the noble family in control of the land the village was built on.

Mr Carter then continued

"He calls it the mana pill. It can heal any injury or sickness of anyone under the Mage realm" he proudly announced.

'Finally !' Zane thought. He finally heard something that may have something to do with magic. Zane was now even more interested in this mana pill, however he knew that there was no chance he could get a hold of it . Especially if it was the only thing that could help his mother.

"How much ?." Owen asked in a severe tone. Zane could hear the worry in his voice and he knew why. The rains where late this year and the family was running low on gold.

"It's twenty gold coins" 

Owen heaved a helpless sigh and sat on a nearby bench. Zane could feel his unease. 

"Maybe if we sell the carriage and two horses we can get ten gold" Owen mumbled to himself but Zane heard him and his heart broke. Selling the carriage would mean his father would have to carry the sacks of wheat all the way to town every harvest.

"Mr Jaxon you once helped my son when he was lost last year so I have an offer for you and your wife" said Mr Carter and Owen immediately shot his head up with renewed hope.

"Anything." He said.

"My wife bought the old building down on main street. She wants to open a library and she was looking for someone to clean and take care of the scrolls and books when she is not around" Mr Carter explained.

Owen sighed once more as the hope in his eyes vanished.

"Thank you for the opportunity Mr Carter but i couldn't dream of leaving the farm"

"Oh no I meant your wife could do it. I am certain this pill will have her up and about by evening today." Mr Carter revealed.

Owen hadn't thought of that. His wife had never worked outside the farm before because there was really never the need to. The gold from the fields was always enough for their little family as long as nothing unexpected came up. 

"I'm afraid I can't decide for-----" 

"It's okay Owen I'll do it" Olivia suddenly said and Zane immediately ran over to her bed. Turns out she had woken up a few minutes ago.

"Are you sure ?" Owen asked and Olivia just weakly nodded. Zane was confused as to why his father was so worried about his mother working. He imagined that maybe the working conditions would be bador something, but anything was better that death in his opinion.

Mr Carter happily nodded "Ok Mrs Olivia so you will work for my wife without pay for the next five years is that okay with you ?" Olivia nodded.

Zane was shocked 'How valuable is twenty gold that someone has to work for five years ?' he wondered. However his mother's health was too important.

The physician then walked over to the bed with the mana pill in hand. Zane's eyes where naturally drawn to the pill once more. Owen's brows furrowed as he noticed Zane's behavior. He didn't miss how for the first time Zane moved only his eyes as they followed the pill.

Mr Carter put the pill inside Olivia's open mouth. Zane could see the pill desolving and turning into a white mist that immediately went towards his mother's lungs. The mist covered every square inch inside the and Zane could clearly see the outline of his mother's lungs. I seems he could see the pill even if it was in gas form and in someone's body.

After a few seconds, the pill completely disappeared and Zane was back to seeing pitch black.

"Mr Carter, what is the mana pill made of ?" he suddenly asked. The physician was surprised to hear a five year old ask such a question.

"It's made of highly compressed healing mana inside a container made from a spell by Master Willow" The physician explained and Zane nodded. 

"If i may ask, what color is it ?" Zane inquired. Mr Carter was even more surprised as a blind boy shouldn't even know the concept of color, but he decided to answer the boy anyway.

"The capsule is blue" Mr Carter answered.

"And the mana ?" Zane followed up.

Mr Carter released a friendly chuckle "You really are a curious boy aren't you i like that. Anyway mana has no color, it cannot be seen only felt by mages. I myself am one mana core away from becoming a mage" He proudly announced.

Zane was really curious about mana cores and mages, however something the physician said caught his attention. He said that mana was colorless, however he could clearly see it. Or maybe what he was seeing wasn't mana but something else ?.

"So mana can heal all wounds ?" Zane asked. He wanted information and the doctor seemed like he was in a answering mood.

"No son, only healing mana can heal wounds. There are a lot of types of mana. Healing mana and elemental mana are the two most common ones. As you may have already guessed, elemental mana is used during battle to cast magical spells" the physician explained.

"Ohh I understand, what does one need to become able to use magic" Zane finally asked the question that has been burning in his mind for his entire short life.

"You need to be a mage"

"How do you become a mage ? " 

"By absorbing ten level one mana cores or one level two mana core after you have determined your elemental aptitude" 

"What's elemental aptitude ?" Zane kept the questions coming and there was no sign of him stopping. However the physician grew skeptical of Zane. No five year old kid could absorb a this information, so he decided to test the little guy.

"First answer me this" he started " what was the name of the object I gave your mother and what is it made of ?" Mr Carter quizzed. He really didn't expect for Zane to still remember. He was a five year old after all.

"It's a mana pill. It was made of highly compressed healing mana inside a container made from a spell by Master Willow." Zane effortlessly answered, effectively surprising the two men in the room. Owen could not be prouder of his son at that moment.

"You have a really smart son here Mr Owen, I guess you are going to send him to hunting school three years from now ?" Mr Carter turned towards Owen. Zane was annoyed that his question was still unanswered but he was also curious about this hunting school.

"That is what his mother and I wanted, although I'm not sure if that is such a good idea given....and i don't know if we are going to be able to afford the entrance fee" Owen sighed. He had paused in the middle of his sentence but Zane knew he pointed at his eyes.