6 Cana

Fuuuuu

As I let the flames permeate inside of my body, the process of melting and regeneration proceed to continue over and over in the course of ten moons.

After eating the second fruit, the amount of pain has increased tremendously from before.

However, it's different this time.

I no longer reject the flames within me.

Instead, I let it course through my entire body.

The pain is tremendous but at the same time, it doesn't hurt like before. If the sensation was that of being burnt alive, now it feels like an incredibly warm energy is coursing through my body and changing the properties of it all together.

Fuuuuu

It's done.

I open my eyes after ten moons have passed and the woman from before appeared before me.

Sitting there casually, it was as if she's been staring at me for an eternity.

Before, when she stared at me with her sharp luminescent gaze, I felt naked.

But now, a sense of familiarity and darkness embraces me instead.

"The flow of cana. Everything begins and ends with cana. Sooner or later, we will return to the flow of arcana and begin anew"

"What is cana"

Cana.. This isn't something I'm not familiar with. Supposedly, everyone and everything has this thing called cana but Leiya never truly explained it to me.

"It is the essence of everything. The world is the cana and the cana revolves everything"

"Cana.. in my world, this isn't something we can comprehend. Abilities like inner fire, we have no records of it"

"Those who chose to escape from fate. That is who you are"

"I don't understand.."

"You don't need to understand. You don't belong here"

Thump

My heart suddenly stopped for a second.

"I've been watching you"

…

Her cold gaze, I've always felt this lingering presence.

"Do you have a way to send me back?"

"Impossible"

…

Either way is fine.. As long as I can be with her, I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life in this mysterious world.

"When a mortal human appeared before me, you intrigued me. A human not aware of the world yet your cana was overflowing"

"Just what is this cana.."

"Cana is the essence of life. You're soul. The very essence of your being. All the experience that you've accumulated, all the pains that you've been through, that is your cana. Without the cana, there is nothing"

My soul..

The very essence of my existence.. That is cana.

It was as if I've been reborn anew.

I never knew what it was but now, it was as if the missing piece has been found.

"If cana is what I am, then what is inner fire?"

She got up and left the cave.

"When you've finished the process of opening your third gate, find me"

After she left me with those words, she vanished without a single trace.

Third gate huh..

I'm still not aware of what this energy flowing inside of me is but I believe that the fruit allowed my body to be born anew.

That's right.

Leiya.. just wait.

I head over to where Leiya is peacefully sleeping.

When I ate the first fruit, it allowed Leiya to stabilize but even after giving her my energy, she wouldn't wake up.

After eating the second fruit, I can feel the energy inside of me to have increased my several notches.

With this, maybe.. just maybe.

I didn't hesitate any longer and focused my energy to my hands.

One hour

Two hours

After four hours, I felt tired and I could no longer produce any more energy.

Damn it..

It's still not enough.

"Uuuu"

…

"Huh..? Haruto?"

"Leiya.. Leiya!!!"

I hold her in my embrace tightly.

"Huh? What's wrong Haruto?"

"Leiya! Leiya!!"

"Haruto calm down.. That's right! Xanrou! What happened?!"

I calmed down and explain to her everything that has happened after the event took place.

(*)

"I'm sorry.. because of me.. you had to go through so much.. maybe.. maybe we should have never me-"

Poof

I seal her lips with mine.

"Please don't ever say that we should have never met"

I gently caress her face and wipe her tears and sadness away.

"Without you, I don't know what I would have done. Because of you, my life has finally felt meaningful"

"I feel the same way"

She smiled and held me tightly.

"I can't believe that the moonlight goddess helped us.."

"Moonlight goddess?"

"The woman, she's known as the moonlight goddess. Our tribe provoked her before and we were nearly annihilated"

Gulp

I couldn't help but shiver in fear.

"When I found the hidden cavern, I didn't know that it was inside of her grounds and I thought I was done for. Luckily, she didn't pay any attention to me. Still.. that doesn't mean that she would have helped us. I wonder what caused her to have a change of heart"

I recall the time when I first entered this world.

"I met her before. I ran without ever looking back"

"I'm surprised that your alive"

She had a teasing face full of shock.

"It looks like your inner fire has finally awakened"

She looked at me with sad eyes.

"Don't think too much about it. Because of this, I could finally save you"

"Thank you.. Haruto.."

"For you, I'll do anything"

I hold her tightly and enjoy each other's company.

(*)

"Leiya.. how do I remove the seal within you?"

"..."

"Please tell me"

Even though she regained her consciousness back, the seal within her is still present.

Apparently, it's a very complicated seal that is very hard to erase unless you are strong enough.

She can move around a bit but she's in a weakened state. Her cana flow has been stopped so she's practically defenseless at the moment.

"If you open your third gate, you'll be able to undo this seal.. but.. I don't want to see you in pain.."

"This pain is nothing. The thought of losing you is far more painful than you can imagine"

"There's another way.."

She looked in the distance while holding the necklace with her hands.

"What is it?"

I look at the necklace she's holding full of curiosity.

"If I use this, not only will the seal be undone, my strength will increase tremendously"

"That's great!"

She looked in the distance once more.

"Maybe it's finally time for me to accept my fate.."

"What do you mean.."

"You see, I've been chosen as one of the eight guardians of the forest. Those chosen by the eternal trees have no choice but to adhere to it. I was chosen by the tree of life. I wasn't supposed to be able to stop the process but my sister managed to give me the option to choose my future. If I accept this power, my freedom will be forever taken away. I would have to stay behind and protect the tree. I could no longer escape and be free. But if it's to protect you.. I'll do it"

…

What..

"Don't fuck with me.."

"Haruto…?"

"Like id ever let that happen!!! I would destroy everyone who tries to take your freedom away! I made a promise.. I'll take you to that place no matter what!"

Damn it..

So this is what she's been going through this whole time..

Being chained down forever, who the hell would want that?!

"Don't ever accept those shackles. Don't worry. As long as I eat the third fruit, it's fine. A little pain is nothing ahaha"

…

"Fine.. Haruto you idiot"

She weakly wrapped her arms around my neck and stole my lips.

"Before you eat the fruit, I need to explain everything"

I listen to her intently.

"Cana. This is the beginning of everything and the end of all"

The moonlight goddess mentioned this before.

"A way to think of cana is that it is the source of your powers. Everyone has cana and the inner fire as well as the arcana veins are located inside of your cana"

I see..

The energy that's flowing inside of me, it's cana.

To be exact, the inner fire allows my body to use the cana.

But arcana veins? This is the first time I'm hearing about this.

"What is the arcana veins?"

"You see, there the cana is split into two different parts. The cana of inner fire and the cana of arcana veins. The inner fire allows you to use inner flames which is, simply put refined cana. It allows your body to become incredibly strong and hard. You can also use it for other things but the general purpose of it is to increase your physical prowess. There are a total of five outer gates of the inner flames. Each gate opened increases the flow or inner fire and the stronger the inner flames will become. To open the outer Gates, you must open the ten inner gates first. To open them, you must train your body and it will naturally open"

"How would I know if they're open or not though?"

"Since your inner fire has already been awakened, it's simple. Sit down and close your eyes. Feel the flow within your body. You'll naturally see it"

I listen to her and sit in a meditative pose.

Whoosh

A sea of flames.. I can see it!

She's right!

It's like a vast world filled with flames. There are rivers that are flowing into different locations. There's an incredibly large river that branches off to ten different rivers. A large rock is blocking the path but there's at least five large rivers.

I looked above and see the vast plane of the skies. There, a large star sits.

Is this.. my cana?

Then the river must be my inner fire then!

It's beautiful..

Like a raging storm that's ever so gently flowing like it's the natural course.

Huh?

What's this..

Around the rivers, there are small cracks and ravines. It's very small but I can clearly see it.

"I saw it! There was a large river and stars as well!"

"Ufufu you're like a child Haruto"

She giggled and held my hands.

"There are cracks on the ground though? Is that supposed to be there"

"Yup! That's your arcana veins!"

"What are arcana veins?"

"It's the second part of your cana. Remember when I cook, I would use my hands to roast it?"

Ahaha.. I remember and was dumbfounded when she first did it.

"That was me using arcane. Arcane is refined cana using the arcana veins. In other words, magic"

Magic!

So there is magic after all!

"It's completely different to how the inner fire works though. The way to use your arcana veins is very complicated so I'll tell you some other time. Just know that it's the very essence of cana. If inner flames is the thing that supports your life, arcane is what creates life! You can create flames, a lake, thunder, and other things. Even though its complicated, it's fairly similar to how inner flames is used but at the same time, it's different"

Ugh.. it's so confusing.

"Ufufu don't think about it too much. It's fairly advanced and hard to learn"

I'll do as I'm told then.

But still.. inner fire, arcana veins, cana essence, it all makes sense now.

A completely new world has been erected within me.

It feels like being reborn.

All the things that I knew before no longer mattered.

I pick up the fruit and prepare to eat it.

"Are you sure about this.. it's very painful you know.."

She looked at me with teary eyes.

"When I remove the seal from you, reward me then!"

"Mou.."

She held my hand as I swallow the fruit.

BOOM!

A volcano erupted inside of me.

I meditate and look inside of my cana and see the river erupting uncontrollably.

I see..

So this is why it's so painful..

The inner fire is filling my body and changing how it originally was.

It burns through what it was and regenerates to become something new.

"Haruto.."

"It's not that bad ahaha. When I first did this, I couldn't even breath but now, it feels all too natural"

"Mou!"

She held my hand tightly.

"Don't get used to the pain.."

"If it's for you, I'll take all the pain inside of your heart and weather any storm"

If it's with her, nothing else matters.