8 White forest (02)
"The first mages sought to create mana so that it could be easier to communicate with the matter and energy. It was difficult to do so with them both being separately or combined without a lot of concentration, willpower and energy of your own. So they solved it after years of practice and continuous effort by making or maybe convincing nature itself to contribute to it. The end result of that was mana.
Nature produced mana by its own willpower and energy so it was less hard for beings living within nature's domain to communicate with the matter and energy by using mana as a bridge. But it is only for you to connect with that matter and energy and not controlling it as if it is yours."
Zed continued to listen to his grandfather talk about mana as he tried to understand how he should control different matters and energies if mana was only for him to communicate with them.
"To control them you have to make your own mana.
Absorb nature's mana and make your own will combine with it, nature will simply let its will be erased as it is its gift. Now you do not need to absorb matter as well, absorbing energy is enough because the matter is everywhere around you; of course for beginners, nature takes care of that filtering automatically. Only if you are mentally strong enough and understand it enough does it stops filtering"
From that day onward Zed started his training on controlling energy and producing mana. Redel did not make him contact with matter while he was doing so and it was within his power to do so.
Zed felt he could control matter too but it somehow felt distant.
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Zed looked at the pond and slowly stretched his hand forward.
A small amount of water enough for only filling a cup rose in the air and moved towards him.
"Make mana yours and control it to produce energy to produce mana again."
Even though he knew his grandfather intervene when he tried to control matter at that time this was the first time he felt how it was to communicate with different mana and matter. Mana was a combination of energy and matter but he was only allowed to control energy and produce mana and control it, he never had the chance to control different matter other than needed to stabilize his energy.
But he also learnt to better control over mana he produced on his own and have high control over his domain which was about 50 meters of radius around him. And that made him really thinking how much of willpower he needed to spread his awareness around the whole world.
But then again according to his grandfather, there were many first mages or warriors as they call themselves who only focused on the matter consisting of their bodies and depended on their senses.
He controlled the water inside his mana domain to shape it into different shapes until the sun shined again.
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Zed walked around the forest slowly as he was not in a hurry to leave it and his grandfather never mentioned for how long he should stay inside the forest.
As he was carefully examining a small plant he heard a small whimpering of an animal from some distance away. He knew immediately why his grandfather mentioned about companion before his journey.
Because he already knew that he was protected inside the forest he turned in that direction without any hesitation. Even if it seemed like it was close in reality he walked almost 5 kilometres until he reached his destination.
Throughout his walk, he couldn't help but marvel how such an amazing place be created by anyone. Just after he started walking 500meters or so he witnessed the glowing plants and rocks, they had intricate inscriptions and runes on them in different colours as if some work of art.
He knew that those were probable mana runes someone created for bending mana without doing it themselves every time. It was a technique his grandfather showed him while describing the different usages of mana.
These runes and inscriptions were placed here to maintain a certain domain and make the environment the maker wanted it to be. And he could feel the abundance amount of pure energy and mana making him rejuvenate and disperse the small fatigue he felt during these past few weeks of travel but he felt his senses restricted.
After 1or 2 kilometres of walking, he could now see that even trees and grass were being carved with runes but instead of growing taller and wider, these trees were small. At least smaller than those giant trees he saw till now.
These trees didn't grow beyond 6meters or so in width and only about 100 to 150 meters tall. Even their leaves and vines surrounding trunks and branches were carved with colourful runes.
While enjoying the scenery he finally reached a small open ground. The ground was covered in grass reaching his knees and wider than 500meters, at least that was how much he could see before forest started again.
The grass in this plot of land seemed even more beautiful than other trees and plants he had seen on his path. The only difference being that the grass and ground were covered with silver and ice blue runes only making a shiny and beautiful scene.
But his focus was not on this scene but on the figure who was sitting quietly on one side of the plot. It was a lion-like creature covered in silver fur leaning comfortably with its hind legs folded and front legs spread out. It was not big but just like other emperor beasts inside Arasine's inner world but a slightly bigger, reaching just about 7 meters long and between 4 to 5 meters in height.
Zed also noticed that the creature's body was covered in ice blue runes from its forehead to its long tail. It was not that it was carved onto its body directly but every fur on its body was showing runes of its own, it also had a long mane instead of a circular one like ordinary lions starting slightly from its neck on both sides in the shape of a tail reaching 5 meters long along with long eyebrows from top of its eyes.
The creature looked at Zed but did not make any moments as he stood there. Zed finally knew that all the runes and sounds he saw and heard were because this being allowing it to be heard themselves. And even the runes on its body were seen by him because it wanted him to see them.
Zed exited his daze after a few moments and walked towards it and he finally saw the similarly small creature who was actually whimpering beside the bigger creature.
The creature in front of him was actually a very rare being found all over the world named Silver Leo. And it was not a name people gave it but rather the creature announced it themselves.
And he knew all that only because the spirit explained it after noticing the creature and he himself had to look for it in his grandfather's basic animal introduction after arriving here.
He stopped some distance away from the Silver Leo and stood there quietly without disturbing them.
The little one did not notice him because its mother prevented it and she also observed Zed too.
Yes, the bigger creature was the mother because female Silver Leo would rarely let their father get near children before they mature enough to walk themselves, and sometimes for lifetimes. It was rare for female Silver Leo to travel or live together with a male one.
Even though Silver Leo as whole species was rare altogether and it was almost impossible to find other one if had seen one before, they had their pride and did not even backed down in front of dragons who were feared as most prideful of all beings.
And they earned their respect after not backing down in front of their might.
Finally, he heard a voice directly in his head.
"Are you worthy enough for my child to be your companion?"
The sound did not have any pressure itself but he could feel the majesty, pride and most of all an authority in that voice. The voice sounded of a woman in her prime and he could also feel the slight pain in her voice.
It was not because he was more sensitive towards pain but the creature herself did not try to hide it. And the pain was not for losing her child or making him follow someone else but because she was at the end of her time just like his grandfather and Bitsy.
And she was just delaying her departure with her own power before her child finds the company of the fated one Redel chose.
Zed was first confused at her pain but realised her situation, he was not sure where his grandfather and gran Bitsy had gone to but it was not within his capacity to know so let it go not bothering about it again.
"No, I do not think I myself can say if I am or not."
He said slowly, after experiencing all the training his grandfather made him go through inside dreamworld he knew one's own worth is different depending on the circumstances and people and you cannot blindly name your worth.
The creature remained silent for a moment and the little one finally sniffed the air and noticed Zed as its mother let it. It immediately stopped whimpering and stood up showing its fangs and ice blue runes on its small body just like its mother, and its tiny mane and eyebrows flowed backwards as if riding a wind.
The little Leo was only about a foot long and smaller in comparison to its mother, but Zed could feel that even this little cub had its own pride and majesty.
Zed smiled as he looked at the little cub but it never showed any willingness to backing down. And Zed too did not try to fight back the little cub's majesty.
Mother Leo finally nuzzled her child who immediately turned around and started whimpering again.
"Make your mana flow and let him recognize it."
She finally spoke in her majestic voice and Zed did as told without complaining.
