章 17: Touch

Cordelia felt energy pour into her hands from Lyonis's. The moment he touched her, she felt her body's mana reach out to his instinctively. It twirled together until it was almost indistinguishable. She felt the unique, refreshing feeling of his mana running up the length of her arm and then wash all over her body. It was comforting and she couldn't help but relax under his touch.

"...That was heartless of me, and you did not deserve that." When he spoke, the energy in him shifted ever so slightly. It felt soft and delicate as if it were trying to comfort her. She felt him run his thumb over her knuckles, and she couldn't remember ever being touched so delicately before.

The alcohol had made her slightly dizzy, and she felt like she was floating. But when she was asked questions about her past, she couldn't help but feel anxiety and anger bubble in her chest. She rarely used her magic to read other people's energy. Getting caught up in another's mana could be dangerous. But the slight buzz made her more carefree, and she couldn't help but reach out to feel his mana when he touched her, especially when her mind swirled with sudden distrust for him.

But his calm and gentle energy, his genuine apology, and the tender way he held her hand made her feel silly for reacting so aggressively. She felt no malice in him, which normally felt white hot and scalding. If Lyonis really had bad intentions, he was very good at hiding them. Cordelia couldn't even mask the intentions of her own mana, and she was a witch. People lied, but their energies didn't.

She sighed and opened her eyes to look down at their hands held together on the table. She placed her free hand over his. Resting her palm over his fingers. She decided to push aside her own trauma and apprehension and trust him.

"I apologize, Lyonis. I overreacted. I think the wine is making me feel a bit emotional and sensitive… It's been a while since I've drank this much." She could see relief flood his face and she felt it in his mana.

It was like a gentle warm wave washed over her, and the intimacy of it took her breath away. She quickly pulled her mana back, shocked at how easily she was swept away in his emotions. Only creatures that were dense with magical energy could absorb or influence mana. Even with a natural gift, it took years of practice to be able to recognize and manipulate another's mana. Lyonis's seemed to absorb and influence the mana of those around him naturally. His energy was especially magnetized, and the mana around him drew to him intrinsically. No wonder his presence demanded such respect.

He looked at her apologetically. His amber eyes were wide and unrelenting in their gaze. Cordelia tapped his hand with hers and withdrew them carefully, returning to eating her meal. Lyonis kept looking at her, gauging her reaction. The waiter appeared again, bringing another bottle of wine and taking away Lyonis's clear plate, and the waiter bowed once before scampering off.

"I haven't spoken about my past in so long…. It's unfortunate it still has such a hold over me." She continued talking. Lyonis raised a hand to stop her, offering to pour her another glass. She nodded, and he put a splash in it, not filling it like before.

"Cordelia. You do not need to explain yourself to me. You do not need to speak of things that upset you. You're here to enjoy yourself tonight. And as your date, I failed you by bringing up unwanted topics." She could feel his eyes on her, and she took another but smaller sip of her wine. The alcohol was catching up to her, and she felt her eyes grow a bit heavier. Maybe she wasn't as recovered as she thought, her normally high tolerance was exceptionally weak tonight, and the wine was going to her head rather quickly.

"Would you tell me about your magic?" Lyonis looked at her, testing the topic, "You mentioned how you were not a sorceress. Are witches and sorceresses not the same?"

Cordelia didn't mind speaking about this. Actually, discussing her magic with him might be a refreshing change of topic. She felt that Lyonis had the wisdom to be able to understand it. She had spoken of it with Gabrielle in the past, but she had to simplify it for the young girl.

"Witches and sorcerers are both magic-wielding creatures, but the source of their power comes from inherently different places. All things have energy, even the earth, even dead things. This energy is called mana, and while there are some varying types of mana, it is essentially the same thing. A life force that connects us all together. Certain things have more mana than others." Lyonis nodded at her urging her to continue. He took in her words carefully as she spoke.

"There are some humans who carry more capacity for mana in them. With training, they are able to grow the amount of mana they carry in their bodies, withstand more, and thus use the power within themselves to manipulate their surroundings. These humans are called sorcerers. But there is a line. Their power is not absolute. Human bodies can only withstand so much. They are usually recruited to the church who see their affinity as divine intervention." Cordelia took a bite of her food, she was almost finished, and her belly felt full. The wine swirled in her head and made her feel lighter.

"Witches are different. We are made of pure, unfiltered mana. It connects us directly to the energy in our surroundings, and thus we are not only able to manipulate the energy within ourselves but also the energy within other beings and things with greater ease. If mana is an ocean, sorcerers are a sponge, and witches are bodies of water." Lyonis looked at her, his eyes wide with fascination.

Cordelia continued, "But while that allows witches to have access to a great amount of power, our energies are naturally unstable. To move water independently from an ocean is incredibly difficult. It's like trying to stop a river from flowing. It takes years and years of training. Eventually, if you're lucky, you can learn how to tap into the natural current of mana that flows through life. Witches can use that natural current to essentially piggyback on the energies of other things. The Church views this as unnatural and evil...."

"If you're lucky? Is it dangerous?" Lyonis asked quietly, listening. Cordelia nodded yes, setting down her spoon in the empty bowl in front of her.

"Training is difficult. Learning how to harness an ocean of power can be… disastrous to one's soul. It can corrupt easily, and if you're not careful, you can lose yourself to it. It would be similar to ice melting in water. Eventually, the ice loses its form and turns back into water."

Lyonis mulled over it, "So death?"

Cordelia nodded, "Yes, in the traditional sense. But this endless exchange of energy is why witches live for so long. Taping into the current of mana that runs through the world gives us seemingly endless life. But we are not immortal. We can die. We have to be careful not to let ourselves get too… stretched out or corrupted."

"What happened in the wetlands? When you came out of there, you seemed so sapped for energy. Could you not have used the mana that was around you to keep you from getting so exhausted?"

Cordelia couldn't help but admire how smart this man was. He had been listening carefully to her. She nodded, "Well… yes. But remember when I said it could corrupt easily? Stealing energy from another thing can be done, but it comes at a price. It disrupts the natural flow of energy and steals life from other things. It's not the same as if you were to, let's say, hunt a wild boar. The boar retains its mana, even in death, and it is recycled into you and the earth. The energy is naturally exchanged. But stealing the life force? Tearing the mana from something is unnatural. Even stealing the mana from plants comes at a cost. It leaves an emptiness in the universe that cannot be filled - some say this is how monsters were born. I had stretched myself too thin in the wetlands, and my physical body had been in a swamp for three days without food or water. Witches aren't immortal, we need food and water to survive."

"But what about the energy in inanimate things? Like water or rocks? You said they carry mana as well. Couldn't you have taken the mana from them?"

"Ah… Water, air, and earth are the building blocks of all life. Everything is made of these things. They are almost impossible to take energy from, and in their true forms, their energy currents are incredibly difficult to manipulate. You can shift the energy within them to alter their state…." She flicked her fingers slightly, and steam rose from the cup of water sitting in front of her and floated up towards the sky. "You can change the form, but you cannot change the thing it is. You cannot take its energy from it." She watched the mist she created to drift away in the wind. "Many have tried and failed…." She yawned. The alcohol and rush of emotions had brought exhaustion close. She grabbed her glass of wine and took another small sip.

"What did you do when you healed my ankle?" Lyonis stared at her. He was so curious. He suddenly reminded her of an excited puppy.

"Ah. I returned your broken ankle to its normal flow of energy. Many ailments or injuries result in the mana pooling or being unable to flow naturally. In the case of broken limbs, you can trick the energy into snapping back into place. I simply allowed my mana to flow through you and tricked yours into following along with mine naturally. It snapped everything back into place. The body instantly repairs itself, and everything is good as new."

"Does that hurt you?" Lyonis looked concerned.

Cordelia smiled. Nobody ever asked her this before, "It does. At the moment when mana is intertwined, I can feel the pain you feel. If it's a fresh injury, I can normally feel the point of impact. In your case, I could feel what it felt like when your bone broke and your leg was smashed. There are other ways of healing that do not require me to fuse mana with another - it's just the fastest. I normally don't do that."

"So the gator? You felt its mana?" Lyonis sat on the edge of his seat, taking in every word.

"Touch is extremely powerful to me. Due to my nature, my body automatically gravitates toward other mana. It wants to run with the current. I have to be careful not to get swept up in other's streams. Things that have powerful energies pull especially hard. Dead things still carry mana, and a creature as ancient as that alligator was still flowing with it. I felt her death as if it were my own, and I felt her mother's anger. But the gator passed peacefully… it was not a violent death."

"When you touch me, can you feel my mana?"