章 30: Chapter 30

While taking a sip from the hot tea Isolde had poured the two into ceramic bowls instead of glasses or horns Alvar with a slightly sour expression on his face thought on how to best answer that question without offending the old woman, after all she had no fault of her own for what he had seen that night. Instead she had helped him, for which he should really be grateful. Still, her question felt like sticking a finger covered with salt into an open wound and Alvar couldn't help himself but grimace at the dark thoughts that began to plague his mind once again.

"I'm dealing with it, somehow. The last week was…painful to say the least." He answered after a while to which Isolde nodded in understanding.

"Did you have any further visions or dreams in that time?" She asked back while she also took a sip from her bowl filled with tea, her eyes though never leaving Alvar's face for even a second.

"No, not that I know of. My sleep has been either peaceful or disturbed by nightmares of that night." Alvar replied while his face returned to its normal state, calming the bubbling anger inside himself down with each sip of tea he took.

"Good. When I came to your home that night I put a preventive barrier into your mind to shield you from the mists and it seems my precaution has paid off. Though I am sorry that I could not do anything about the nightmares as they are natural and cannot be controlled by any kind of magic that I possess…" Isolde replied with a sigh while a sad smile began to form on her face which in turn brought a thankful warmth to Alvar as he hadn't known that she had done that for him.

"Thank you, for helping me that night I mean. I didn't know that you put a barrier in my head though. Will it stay there indefinitely?" Alvar asked after a second of silence between the two to which Isolde only nodded like it was no problem for her.

"No, the barrier as I said is only preventive. That is one of the main reasons why I asked your grandparents to send you to me as you need some guidance in shielding your mind from the mists or you will lose yourself in them sooner or later." Isolde said, causing Alvar to finally understand what this whole meeting was about. Thus, after hearing and understanding what the old Havroune meant Alvar couldn't help but let out a breath of relieve.

"So, how are we going to do this then? Are you going to cast another barrier into my mind or something?" Alvar asked now curious after the relieve had taken a significant burden filled with apprehension from his shoulders that had weighed on his mind like a pair of boulders.

"No, that wouldn't help in the long run. You will need to learn how to do so of your own. Tell me, have you received any instructions on mana manipulation yet?" Isolde asked to which Alvar shook his head in denial.

"Figured as much. Warriors usually learn about mana manipulation a lot later then caster professions for example. Understandably so." Isolde continued, though her words confused Alvar a little bit, causing him to ask her what she meant.

"How so? I mean mana manipulation is just another basic isn't it? Why can the caster professions learn about it and the warriors can't?"

"Pff, don't be so naïve, Alvar! Mana manipulation is one of the most difficult things you will ever encounter in your whole life! Yes, the basics are learned by the caster professions early but only because their variation of mana manipulation is a lot less lethal then the warriors! But I suppose, since you don't know anything about mana manipulation yet, it wouldn't harm to tell you a little bit about it, if only to curb that foolish notion you have about mana manipulation being easy." Isolde spoke with a little condescension tinting her voice at the utter foolishness Alvar had shown by his words, which in turn caused Alvar's cheeks to tinge red in embarrassment.

"As you may know every humanoid being possesses mana in their core, suffusing and nurturing our minds and body throughout our lives. Some people never interact with the mana in their bodies on a conscious level while others do so. Some amongst those that begin to interact with their mana manage to hone their bodies and minds to unprecedented levels, pushing their bodies to a level where they can even prolong their lifespan for a couple years or sharpen their minds to comprehend mysteries about the world that would otherwise be beyond their understanding. That is how the elementalists, necromancers and mesmers came to be for example.

What many people don't know is that, besides the mana in their bodies, there is mana in literally everything around us. When you begin to learn mana manipulation you start by interacting with the mana inside your body. Only when you have established a certain level of understanding about how mana works are you then allowed to interact with the mana around you." Isolde narrated while Alvar sat there, opposite of the old Havroune, with a fascinated expression on his face.

"I get all that but what I don't understand is: why are there different professions if mana manipulation is the same for everyone in the first place? I mean, if I learn mana manipulation now and am taught how to become a warrior then why can't I just conjure a fireball for example like how the elementalists are doing?" Alvar asked with confusion, as that question had martyred his mind since the first day he had heard about mana manipulation.

"Ahh, that is a good question and not completely without logic. After all I just told you that mana manipulation is rather neutral as mana suffuses everything in the world. Your idea would be valid if we humanoids consisted of pure mana only. Then you would be correct. But we don't. We are limited by our bodies in more than one way and thus, in order to draw upon the mana inside and outside of us, need some kind of stimulation which enables us to draw on the mana.

For an elementalist for example you would gain a deep understanding of fire for example, after studying its components, nature and so on. As soon as you combine that knowledge with your mana it naturally becomes a flame once it leaves your hand.

That is the first limitation our body has when it comes to mana manipulation. Instinct. As soon as we reach a certain point in our training our mana naturally becomes the one thing we have gained an understanding of, or something similar in the other profession's cases.

The next limitation is none other than time. We simply do not have the time to learn about all that the different professions have to offer without becoming a master of none. You could try to master more then one but believe me when I say that it would be a waste of your life time." Isolde finished and Alvar couldn't help but mull over her words after which he agreed whole heartedly with her.

"So, how will we go about putting that barrier in my head?" Alvar asked after a minute of contemplative silence between the two, causing Isolde to smile knowingly before she put a hand on Alvar's head, bringing darkness down upon him after which he slumped over backwards and knew no more.