Warm Feeling

"Why are you crying..." I asked out of concern.

Lucy immediately wiped her tears hiding from me.

"It's nothing, don't worry" she said hastily.

I wanted to pry more but decided against it since she was adamant about moving on. The thought kept nagging at me the whole day though.

"Ahem, let's continue...Now that we know what kind of mana you have an affinity for, we know what magic you can use. For instance, I also have an affinity for light mana but since I am a demon, I have an affinity for miasma or as we know it dark mana as well. In a sense, they complement each other. Humans think that there is inherent morality in mana, for example, light mana and the other elements are inherently good and dark mana or miasma is evil. This is a very corrupted way to look at the force that governs nature itself. Thinking that the force by which this world, something intangible and incorruptible is bound by the feeble and everchanging social and moral values of the creatures it gives life to is frankly incredibly self-important and egotistical. It is foolish to think that we control mana or it's just a tool for us to use, It just so happens that the force that created us still values us enough to interact with us...Never ever forget this" she said in a serious tone.

"I won't" I said, understanding the gravity of her words.

"Do you remember when I told you that miasma is an extremely concentrated version of mana, you might think that it is purer than light mana but there is a reason it is not. Miasma comes into existence when the manas of different elements mix and mingle together, the result being so concentrated in energy that it cannot contain itself anymore and becomes miasma. Light mana in a sense is the exact opposite. It has no connection to any element and exists freely on its own, it interacts with the other elements but never mixes with it, that is because all elemental mana comes from light mana. The reason pure light mana can never mix with elemental mana is because it becomes elemental mana either by interacting with it continuously or...." she said as she lifted her hand above her head.

I could see the light mana moving into her body and disappearing, the very next moment a shower of rain erupted from her hand, sprinkling the whole arena in a mist.

"If a light mana user converts it themselves. That is what makes Light mana so powerful" she said with confidence.

My mouth was open wide as I watched in awe the world around me, the world of magic. I could not comprehend something so fantastical and all the fantasy books I had read throughout my whole life were thrown to shame as I saw the real thing they only hoped to describe. It truly could not be captured by words the beauty of it.

But the very next moment the particles of mana floating all around started flickering, I blinked my eyes for a few seconds but the very next instant my vision returned to normal, as it was before.

"Everything disappeared! What happened?" I exclaimed.

"The mana I imbued you must have run out. Since I had already told the mana what to do when it entered you, you were able to use it without even realizing. This is the hardest part of magic, even though you have learnt to call and absorb mana, it doesn't mean you have control over it, that only comes with rigorous training and practice. And for light mana users like me and you, there is an extra layer of complexity of converting the light mana into elemental mana within ourselves to use it for most combat purposes. I have reached the point where I am because my life essentially depended on it, a demon's pride is their prowess. Without my prowess, I am no demon" she said with a flame of determination in her eyes.

She placed her hand on my cheek "Do not get discouraged, I believe in you and even if you don't achieve what I have, just remember our oath. We both have a duty to protect each other and I will destroy anything that tries to harm a hair on your head"

I looked into her beautiful red eyes and the dark warmth in them enveloped me once more, this time stronger than before. But I did not want to resist, it was like I wanted this, the feeling of being constricted and bound was comforting.

"T-thank you...I will try my best" I said as I stuttered.

She held my hand again and pulled me as we exited the arena and back into the mansion.

"That is enough practice for today, the rain I created got us all wet, I will instruct the maids to prepare a bath for you...." she said as she signaled to a maid closest to us.

"Once you are done and refreshed, the maid will lead you back to me..." she said as she disappeared into one of the many rooms of the castle.

I was led to a huge bath almost like a swimming pool, the maid offered me her assistance but I shyly denied it and disappeared inside out of embarrassment. The large bath was comfortable and luxurious but the coziness of the small bath tub at home was still missed.

After a long and comfortable bath, I got out and dried myself with a fluffy towel that almost felt like air and got dressed in comfortable clothing that was laid out for me.

When I got out, a maid was waiting for me and led me through the maze of corridors to another set of large gates.

I opened them up to a large library, the largest I had ever seen. With entire corridors lined with shelves filled to brim with books, it was almost like an optical illusion, an infinite library of sorts.

Lucy was waiting on the mezzanine of the next floor looking down with a grin directed at me.

"Welcome to the Great Library, the place where all of the wisdom of this world is kept" She shouted as she spread her arms wide.

"I have kept my side of the bargain, now it is time you keep yours....."