Visitor

Eli had a sleepless night.

It was really weird and hard to sleep when you are pregnant. The consciousness of having a baby in her tummy and the foreign changes in her body kept her from having a good night's sleep.

She gently stood up from her bed and prepared breakfast for herself.

She realized that there are a lot of things that she had to adjust to just like her morning habit of opening the fridge, having a tap on the kitchen sink and a shower in the bathroom.

These were convenient things she was very used to in her previous life. She realized that she had to draw water from the well in order to use water around the house.

She is pregnant! This will be a hard job for her physically!

After finishing her nutritious breakfast she summoned Wisey and inquired how to summon a familiar.

From her discussion with her, she learned that there are many ways for a summoner to use her power. However, there were three most common ones;

First was the Spirit Summoning.

One must prepare an array and use it to summon an elemental spirit who will resonate in the mana that he or she had converted. No one can choose what spirit to summon. It all depends on how compatible your mana is to an elemental spirit's preference.

Some would not attract a spirit at all, that was why Prasinons invented new ways to use the large reserves of mana in their body.

The second, and also one of these new ways summoner's magic could be used, was Beast Taming. The summoner must go to the forest or a target beast dwelling for an attempt to tame them. Just like the elemental spirits, everything also depends on the beast's preference if it would like to submit to the summoner.

Upon submission, summoners prepare a ritual and offer a drop of their blood to the beast to seal the contract. Upon the completion of the contract ritual, the beast can now act as the summoner's familiar and feed on its master's mana for magical power.

Lastly, was the usage of inanimate objects or Medium Manipulation.

This technique was for summoner's who were not able to contract any spirit nor beast, or even those who really just prefer not to go that route. They use a medium and load their mana into it to manipulate at will. This medium may be in the form of a puppet, weapon or any other inanimate objects.

However, summoners cannot just use any inanimate object available. They must use objects that are able to absorb or react to mana, this means that the dolls, puppets or weapons must be crafted specifically for this purpose. People say that this type of summoning was the most deliberate and most expensive.

Eli got stressed, not knowing what to do. It seemed like although opening the summoner's path was the right choice in her mind, it was not an easy choice either.

"Should I do spirit summoning?" Eli asked Wisey.

"I'm here already! An adorable and available spirit!! Why need other ones!" Wisey protested sulkily.

"Huh? You can be contracted, you are not an elemental?" Surprised by Wisey's revelation, she asked.

"Yes! What more can you ask? I am personally created by the Great One ahh! We just have to complete the contract! After that, you don't need to summon the book first before summoning me!" Wisey proudly said.

"Hmmmm, but what can you do except to tell me the knowledge that the book already had?" Eli ask skeptically.

"I can talk! And Fly!" Wisey said, feeling insulted by Eli's inquiry.

"Not convenient enough!" Eli shrugged. "Better get moving to summon a useful spirit!" She said.

"Ahhh noooo don't, I don't want to be kept in the book! I wanna see the world!! Wisey said in panic.

"Not convinced, I am pregnant. I need a USEFUL familiar." She decisively said.

"I can be useful, I can do wind magic!!! I can even make things float!" Wisey said, trying to convince Eli.

Eli didn't respond, just raising one of her brows skeptically.

"I can also detect hidden arrays.. Ah you can also use me to gather and pass information!" Wisey added. It can clearly see that Eli didn't want any of its abilities at this moment, so tears started forming on its dark round eyes.

"Sigh..'' Eli, although feeling unsatisfied, couldn't resist the cuteness attack by Wisey and conceded.

"You will be in charge of protection and knowledge provision. For the crucial information about something, you must immediately remind me, especially if it is about our safety and health." She sternly said.

Wisey delighted, spread its wings and flew around in excitement. "Yes! Absolutely!"

After performing the ritual, Wisey checked Eli's mana level and commented, "Eli-chan, your mana level is more than enough to sustain me in the world outside the book, you can still contract a beast or a weapon if you like!"

"Hmmm now that you confirmed it, I am in desperate need of another familiar." Eli replied with an accusing look towards Wisey.

Wisey guiltily drooped its head low.

Just as the two continued to bicker, loud knocks were heard on the front door, "Boom boom boom!"

The two were startled. They both went into the living room and checked out the visitor.

When Eli opened the door, she was greeted by the shadow of a large furry body. It was a white tummy!

Eli panicked realizing that it wasn't just a tummy, "OMG it is a bear!" She communicated with Wisey.

Wisey had a sharp look in its eyes. It stayed alert should any danger come to Eli.

"He..Hello.. How may I help you?" Eli tried as much as possible not to panic, but a nervous voice still came out of her mouth.

"Hmm?" Suddenly the furry animal took a few steps back, only then did Eli finally see clearly what kind of creature had visited her.

It was a Giant Panda!!!!

Eli, with her love for fluffiness, immediately forgot the threat in front of her. In her vision, the giant panda who can, at anytime, grab her with its sharp paws, turned into a cuddly fluffy panda.

Wisey, alarmed with Eli's reaction, immediately sent a warning to Eli's mind, "Hey Eli-chan, get yourself together! You are pregnant! How can you let your guard down!"

Upon receiving Wisey's warning, Eli's mind began to focus again, 'This isn't the time to be distracted. Every action matters now!' She can't be complacent.

While this was happening, the giant panda was also observing Eli. It took a few sniffs around her surroundings and said,

"Indeed, a pure mana user.. I would like to be contracted to you!" The big furry animal decisively said.

"Pure mana user? You want to be contracted with me?" Eli, who had adjusted her state of mind into vigilant mode, was once again surprised.

"Definitely! I came here not to bring you harm, but offer you protection instead!" The giant panda replied.

"However, I want to be honest with you about my motive. You are a pure mana user, so I believe that you have the power to cleanse me of my curse!" it continued to explain.

"A curse?" Eli curiously asked.

The giant panda crouched down its head on the same level as Eli's height and gave an enthusiastic nod, "hmm hmm!"

Then with tearful eyes it pointed towards his eyes, ears, paws while pitifully saying, "Look at my eyes, it has black circles, my ears, my paws and limbs are contaminated with the curse, turning my fur black…"

"My fur is supposed to be pure white!!" It added, still looking pitiful.

"...aren't you born like that? And how am I supposed to clear your 'curse'?" Eli, trying to hold back her laughter, still asked the panda in the most serious tone she could pull off.

"I am indeed born this way, my parents said that our ancestors said that we are cursed polar bears. That is why we looked like this… Only by consuming the purest mana can make our fur completely white again!" The Panda said.

Eli now understood the panda's behavior.

It seemed like the panda species are uncommon in Prasinos. The panda race themselves thought that they were polar bears that were cursed for some reason. The whole race now thinks that if they have consumed pure mana, it will cleanse their bodies and make their fur white again.

"Please, mana user, have a contract with me.." the panda pleadingly said.

Eli contemplated, she didn't know how to effectively explain to the panda that it was a panda, not a cursed polar bear.

She mentally communicated with Wisey if she was allowed to show a picture of a panda from the book of knowledge. She needed to make it look like it was a known fact and that, she didn't make it up.

After the two made up a plan in their minds, Eli finally answered.

"I apologize but I can never lift your curse even if you consume all my pure mana." Eli said straightforwardly.

"What? Why???!" Shocked by the rejection and the fact that pure mana couldn't fix its fur, the panda stumbled and sat, it lifted paws up and questioningly asked Eli for an answer.

"Wait a moment, I will show you something for you to understand," She went back inside the living room as if getting something.

Upon her return, she was already holding the book of knowledge, with the article about the panda species, already searched and displayed.

She approached the Panda, held the page showing a picture of a panda and other relevant information and started to explain,

"I stumbled upon this book about the rare beasts that existed in Prasinos," Eli's opening statement was calmly delivered.

"You look exactly like this rare beast, it is called a panda.. Have a look!" Then she carefully beckoned the panda to look at the picture.

The panda touched his face, and ears, then looked at his paws and body while repeatedly looking back and forth at the panda picture in the book.

"We look exactly the same," It said in a baffled tone, its eyes wide and its jaws hung open.

"Yes, indeed, you aren't a cursed polar bear. You are never cursed. You belong to a very very rare species called Panda!" As if coaxing a child, Eli explained.

"I am a Panda? I am from a rare species?" A twinkle appeared in the panda's eyes as if all of the problems he carried had been swept away by the winds.

"Yes, you are a panda. The black spots itself are the ones that make you rare! You should be proud of that! It is what makes you different and remarkable!" Eli continued to coax the now adorable giant panda.

"Waaaaaah I am not cursed!! I am remarkable!!!" The panda suddenly bawled and howled, crying like a baby.

"Yes you are, yes you are.." Eli patted the giant panda's paws as if consoling it. However, consoling it wasn't Eli's intention...

She just wanted to touch the panda's adorable fluffy paws!!

Talk about taking advantage!

After the panda calmed down, Eli then told the panda,

"Now big panda, you don't need a contract to change your appearance.. You can go on.."

"Hmm? I still wanted a contract from you!" The panda said decisively.

"But you no longer need my mana right?" Eli said in surprise.

"Nooo but I love the music you created yesterday!!! I wanted to hear more of those.. So please let me be your familiar," The panda said with a pleading eyes.

"Well, the panda can help you do the heavy tasks…" Wisey reminded Eli.

"Ohh!" She exclaimed.

"Alright, but as you can see I am pregnant, I actually needed someone who would help me for things I can't carry out right now.." Eli said, as she was reminded.

"I don't mind doing that!! I agree," the panda gleefully said.

Soon the contract ritual was performed. The panda bowed and introduced itself to Eli.

"Baobao, panda of the Silver Dew Forest greets master!"