Kapitel 7: Mana

Henry looked at Aizel with a satisfied expression and nodded in approval. "That's why I don't want to die here. I want to escape from here to go and see my daughter once more, and neither you nor I should give up."

Aizel nodded as well. Finally, he felt his mood rise.

"We have six days, and that bitch will come after six days to extract the last of our life energies." Henry stated before continuing once again "We have six days to gather whatever we have and devise a plan for our escape."

"If only I could get that sword," Aizel whispered, looking at the weapons rack beside the tent in the center of the cave.

"Oh, do you know how to use a sword?" Henry asked with a curious expression.

Aizel gave a small smirk before speaking. "I've been wielding swords since I was a child; it's one of the things that calms my mind and improves my mood."

"Then use this dagger; it's little compared to a sword, but it's better than nothing." Aizel received the black dagger from Henry.

He held that dagger in his right hand, getting a feel for it. He ran his finger along the blade, and a feeling of peace came over him; it wasn't as good as the sensation of a sword, but it was close enough.

Aizel took a fighting stance, gripping the dagger tightly. He closed his eyes and imagined how heroes in novels and comics fight and use daggers.

Suddenly, the air around Aizel became dense. It felt as if a small swirl was swirling over his body. Henry's eyes were wide open as he stared at Aizel. "This...this is definitely mana!"

Aizel opened his eyes with a relaxed expression on his face.

"I missed this feeling," Aizel whispered softly while Henry suddenly pulled on his shoulder,

"You... how did you do it? You finally used it." The old man spoke with a face full of hope.

"What did I use it? Aizel asked the old man with a confused expression.

"Mana idiot, that was certainly mana," Henry spoke again, and excitement could be clearly seen on his face.

"Are you sure?"

"I am 100% certain that was mana. I have seen my daughter using it, so I remember that feeling." Henry answered proudly to Aizel.

"But why couldn't you use it before when I asked you?" the old man asked Aizel.

"I'm not sure, I just followed your instructions and saw mana as a thread of energy around me," Aizel answered.

Henry facepalmed at himself. "Idiot, I merely used that as an example and advised you to imagine it the best way you could."

"So what did you do this time?" The old man asked again.

"I was just thinking about how I might use the dagger more effectively, using various tactics, and how I could sharpen it to slash it more easily and quickly," Aizel replied.

"Try to do it once more, but this time also try to sense something around you," Henry asked Aizel to try to sense mana once again.

Aizel did the same thing once again: he closed his eyes and began imagining the various techniques and also the sharpness of the dagger while concentrating around his body to see if anything differed from before.

Once again, the air around Aizel became very dense. He could obviously feel something trying to gather around his body.

He concentrated on absorbing that sensation when a burst of energy burst from within him, refreshing him and giving him the sense that he could now accomplish whatever he desired.

This sensation... Aizel became aware of the sensation that was filling him up. "So this is mana," he spoke in hushed tones.

"Can I now wield magic like Larisa?" Aizel spoke excitedly to the old guy.

Henry, on the other hand, simply shook his head. "No, for the time being, you can only sense mana, which is the first phase. The trouble begins here.

"How to use it..

"We don't even know which magic affinity suits you, and I don't know anything about it. Only my daughter can explain that." The old man sighed.

Aizel's excitement quickly faded, and he became gloomy once more.

"Don't be concerned; I clearly noticed that you were able to manipulate mana in your dagger. Even so, you can easily kill someone." Henry spoke to Aizel while heading towards the corner to sleep.

"Well, you should rest today because we need to start planning our escape from tomorrow," Henry spoke for the last time before closing his eyes without even wanting to listen to Aizel's reply.

Aizel stood there for 5 minutes, trying to make sense of all that had happened to him today, before moving to another corner of the cage to sleep.

The cage was large enough to accommodate up to 5 people, so there was plenty of space for both of them.

And just like that, the first day was done, with Aizel spending his first night trapped in another world in a cage. Whether it is a dream or reality, Aizel will soon realize that no matter what he thinks, life does not always go as planned.