Ch 13 - Apologies

"I'm sorry." Mandella said unable to look me in the eyes.

"No Worries I did ask for the training." I Say trying to change the mood as while I still had a bit of mental fatigue my body was just as good as before, many even better as I felt refreshed.

"No not for that." He raised his head to look me in the eyes "I don't really think that was anything." 

OK, you little ...

"I'm talking about how I was treating you." He seemed sincere but I still didn't understand. "I Was treating you like I treat Adam just without respect." His words were a bit confusing I could understand where he was going.

"Ever since I joined I have seen a very negative side of the descendents of Cain, and Adam isn't the most sensitive to critics so I was projecting onto you." He spoke slowly and it was so heartfelt that I didn't know how to respond.

"Should probably get on to teaching you the next thing?" He said looking away and running his fingers through his hair. After a second he shook his head and looked back at me with a seriousness like in the beginning but more relaxed now.

"Anyway, how did it feel to release your manna?" He questioned me.

"It felt, pretty good like I had gotten a full night's rest and got rid of that burning feeling." I try to not be too vague but the feeling was generally hard to describe. But the look on his face told me I had confused him.

"Maybe I phrased it wrong. How... what did it feel like to use your manna, like Flipping a switch; instant, or maybe turning up sound on a sound board; more controlled." Now his question made a lot more sense to me.

"A bit more like the second one, it was like I had my foot on the gas but I also had the handbrake up so I was hurting the engine." He knew and let me know I got it now.

"Ok that's good, the more control you feel over it the better, when you feel it; on and off, and you have very little control over how effectively you can use your manna. You are quite lucky in that regard it can be quite hard to change how you interact with manna." he says with an outstretched hand turning his mana on and off and making it brighter and dimmer to illustrate his point. I was in awe of his control of manna, causing it to glow right out of his hand rather than his whole body.

A smile crept across his face at my reaction as he handed me a small blue book with frayed edges. As I run my finger over its sides I feel its warn texture, rough like sand broken up by the soft torn edges. "What's this?"

"A gift, it's your spell book, maybe you would prefer a pocket bible, it will have everything you will need for a while. From my master to me, now from me to you."

Flipping through I see many verses underneath quickly scribbled headings, to name a few. Healing, Protection, Prayers, Evocation. Evocation? Regardless each one was something I had now, something to learn or

"Try, 2 Chronicles 7:14, it should be at least a bit familiar and has a pretty easy chant." I flip through the book and find it under healing instinctually I read it aloud.

"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." I finished the recital and I was surprised as there wasn't any of the glowing or healing I had seen before.

"What happened?" my lost expression had even him confused. 

"You didn't do anything what do you mean?" my expression remained unchanged by his response.

"Huuu, You didn't use your manna, you didn't look at someone and you didn't try to heal, you were just reading words off a page." my confusion remains but my expression changes.

"Ok let me try again." looking up at him now and hoping to heal him. Trotteling my manna at full force I begin

"If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, and purpose to seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then they will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." as I finish the light of manna fades and I am faced with a newly crossed arm mandella looking incredulously back at me.

"I was hoping you wouldn't sing the song." shaking his head his hands dropped to the side. "let me demonstrate." he says as he reaches out his hand to me. taking it I was in a momentary shock as I felt my bones crack in his shining hand my confusion holding back my pain as I just stared blankly.

"jou absolute Naai" I cry out just before my vision is nearly completely blanketed in golden white light and my ears are assaulted by his words.

""If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."" his voice doubled in power and sounds, as my pain was gone like a flip of a switch and my bones snapped back into place. the light returned to him now with a smile after a successful demonstration.

"Jou ma se ver...." I was forcefully cut off "Enough of that now you try." his tone was as if he didn't just break my hand.

"How am I supposed to do that if you are not hurt."

"I wanted you to get to forming the spell without any danger but I understand." Walking outside we head to the back of the church he walks to the middle and has me walk a few paces away from him. After a minute of sighing and shinging his head, he reaches up a hand to the sky forming a small cloud from wisps of surrounding clouds and growing further beyond.

"After I'm hit I want you to heal me got it." and before I can manage to utter a word his cloud releases a monumental bolt of lighting the flash was more blinding than the manna I unleashed and the thunder knocked me on my ass before I could cover my ears. stunned and disorientated I manage to catch a glimpse of the smoking form of mandella lying on his back.

Quickly rushing to my feet and stumbling I make my way over to him to try and heal him. throttling my manna as I make my way to the spot of charred grass on which he lay I begin to chant coming to my senses faster than I expected.

"If my people who are called by my name ..." I barely managed to get a word out before I was cut off.

"Focus dammit it hurt's" he spits out through gritted teeth. moving to stand over Mandella I clear every other thought about him out of my mind, he isn't a Naai, and he isn't leagues stronger than me all he is hurt, and all I can do is heal him. With this empty mind, I try again, releasing and displaying my manna proudly as I recite from the small bible.

""If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.""

As I chant my bible begins to glow and my voice booms as twin power, each word pulling manna away from me into a different form, before my eyes it changes from the bright light into a semi-transparent form following my light of sight towards the smoking prone form of mandella. it penetrates into his body as I conclude my chant and he begins to return to normal, the smoke dissipates as his scabbed and scarred form and he returns to he was just before he was struck by the lighting. leaving just his clothes and the smell a little like burn and bacon in the air. Dropping down next to him I catch a breath while the spell wasn't physically taxing I was having trouble gathering my thoughts as my hands got singed by the scorched earth.

"Well done for your first time." he coughes out.

"Think you can do the next one without me having to attack myself?" he rushes up his head to try and catch my eyes but only gets a nod as I can't get my thoughts in order enough to speak yet. We continued the training outside for the better part of the morning till past lunch as I formed different spells and tried to get them to an acceptable, level but I ran out of manna and mental stamina before too long I was sent home as I was unable to do any more.