Maira's Lessons: Wesen

Maira let out a sigh as she stared at her ever-attentive son. Really, Rouge was growing up so fast that she couldn't even keep up with him anymore. Well, she could still wipe the floor with him during their sparring lessons, but really, he was looking more and more like his father everyday.

And no, she wasn't jealous that she didn't manage to pop out a daughter for herself after Pascual got the son that he wanted.

"Now, what have we learned about Wesen, Rouge?"

Her son furrowed his brows as he replied, "Wesen is the most basic energy present within every living person?"

She nodded. "That's correct. And as we all know, Wesen is categorized in the Empire into two known groups: The Elementar Wesen wielded by Zahlers like me, and the Seigel Wesen wielded by Nenners like yourself and your father."

"Categorized within the Empire... does that mean there can be other uses for it?"

Maira winced at her son's innocent question. While she knew a lot about Wesen and its uses, that was only for how the Empire utilized such a resource. The Vida Kingdom had different ways of using Wesen, but she really had no clue as to how to explain how their foreign methods worked.

So she settled for the next best thing.

"Son, for now, let's focus on how us Imperials wield our Wesen," she deflected with the skill of a blunt rock. "I'll teach the other methods in the future."

"If you're sure..."

Her son pouted at her, and it actually hurt her pride as she swallowed what was left of her dignity as a Zahler. If her former mentor saw her now...

No, she refused to be laughed at by the ghost of an old man.

"Anyway, I'm sure that you already know the difference between these two Wesen types," she continued, sucking up her pride as she taught her son. "For Zahlers, their most dominant type of Wesen is Elementar Wesen. This type of Wesen focuses more on allowing them to manipulate the elements." And for added emphasis, Maira ignited a small fire in her hands.

"So Elementar Wesen just makes them capable of controlling everything?"

She smirked as she shook her head. "Not exactly. Despite its namesake, Elementar Wesen doesn't allow a Zahler to wield all the elements. In fact, all Zahlers are limited to just one element. In my case, that element is fire."

"I see," Rouge sagely nodded. "But what constitutes an element then?"

Maira felt her brow twitch at her son's admittedly clever questions. Still, this was something that she could at least answer. "From my experience, so long as it exists in nature, it was an element. I've seen those that controlled lightning. Those that controlled wind. And those that controlled light itself."

"Huh," her son nonchalantly noted. "So not exactly elements then..."

"They're elements, Son," she insisted. "What else are we supposed to call them?"

Rouge opened his mouth to speak, only to close it, making Maira feel like her son had just insulted her in his mind.

"What is it, Rouge?"

"It's nothing, Mother," he replied.

"Are you sure?" she raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you have something to say?"

"Well... Not everything's an element, right?"

Maira felt herself freeze. Again, his son was correct, and she could already tell what the next few questions were going to be.

"We can't say that hair is an element. Or maybe even-"

"I think we should go for another spar," she cut him off, using her motherly authority on him as she turned around and grabbed their weapons. "I'll show you firsthand the power of a Zahler and their Elementar Wesen."

"Okay then?"

Maira gritted her teeth as she heard his son's casual acceptance. Shame bubbled up within her even as she smiled at him. What kind of mother was she that she was so afraid of answering difficult questions?

Truly, her mentor was going to kill her if they ever met again.