The Unified States of Mana

“Never got anything like this back in my old university. Used to be perfectly boring.” I mutter, folding up the strange letter and pocketing it.

“What was that?” Adler asks, watching me closely.

“Some sort of secret society recruitment thing.” I say, “I’ll deal with it later.”

“Secret society?” Vii asks.

“Party of the fallen, or something. That mean anything to you, Adler?” I ask standing up and brushing myself off.

“No, but it sounds worrisome.” She says, “I really should do something about all of this. If social values are left to decay…”

“The Unified States are already in decay,” I say.

“Because of things like this ‘party of the fallen’, because people are letting our society decay by embracing twisted ideas. If everyone just listened to us and did what’s right, all these bad things wouldn’t be happening.” She says, growing frustrated.

I grind my teeth and smile, pulling Eshya up beside me.

“Adler, you really should learn to look at things from another perspective.” I say with a sigh, shaking my head. “Consider that the welfare officers might be wrong for once.

“Anyway, today is meant to be for fun and relaxation. So please don’t ruin it for us.” I say, heading deeper into the hedges. Adler thankfully doesn’t chase that thought, following after quietly.

“There isn’t anything more here.” Nel says, as we break out into another section of the garden. It’s still beautiful, in a chaotic way, but it’s not the same as the carefully tended blue world that we’ve just escaped from.

“Well, what next?” I ask, as we walk through the gaps in the garden. I brush past something like a red banana tree, and carefully step past a few smaller plants, little green and blue sprouts that are difficult to notice among the other stranger plants.

It’s strange, the hedges must take up only a section of this garden, but when inside it feels like a world apart. Leaving has only made me appreciate it that much more, but I feel returning too often would ruin the charm it has.

“I had something planned, though it depends on if you’re feeling up to it.” Nel says, taking the lead once more. “How do you feel about dancing?”

“Yes.” Eshya responds quickly.

“It wasn’t a yes or no question…” I say with a little laugh. “I don’t have any experience with dancing, sorry.”

“I’m not very good at it.” Vii says waving to her feet, “With my talons it can be difficult.”

“Oh, ah, then…” Nel says nervously, trying to think of something.

“We should still try.” Vii quickly adds, “I’m not against it, but we should take it slowly, maybe.”

“Alright!” Eshya seems surprisingly happy with the idea.

“So, what’s the plan?” I ask, “Is there some dancing event going on?”

“No, but from what I understand the dance hall should be open, and there are some musical enchantments there that we could listen to.” Nel says, seeming much less confident in this than the gardens.

As we head back towards the academy buildings and elevators, my mind wonders back to the folded note that I’ve been trying to ignore. Vii and Nel are chatting happily at the head of our group and with a sigh I read over the note again.

 

If you lust for freedom,

If this world’s beauty is not enough,

If you want what is disallowed,

Come find us, and join in the party of the fallen,

Earn the trust of our fallen to find your way,

The fallen listener, who will ask many things,

The fallen smith, who perverts good metals,

The fallen songbird, who steals many ears,

The fallen scholar, who digs through the lies.

 

“So, what is it?” Eshya asks me, leaning over to read it herself, “Strange…”

“It seems like this party of the fallen has been paying attention to us. Or they could just be doing a mass marketing campaign.” I say, “I’m not sure if we should bother messing around with them.”

“Why not?” Eshya shrugs, “What’s the worst that can happen?”

“They could be some powerful cult.” I suggest.

“And?” She replies, “What can they do to us?”

“Probably a lot of awful things.” I reply, “But then, that isn’t really new for us, is it? It’s probably worth the risk, just to find out more about them.”

“Especially if they upset Adler.” Eshya says, “‘The fallen’ though, it does sound a bit stupid.”

“Are they meant to sound like they’re already dead?” Nel asks, walking back to us, “That’s what it sounds like to me.”

“I think it’s meant to mean that they’ve fallen from civilisation.” Vii says, looking over the note, “With what is written about freedom and beauty, it at least seems like it. Either that, or they’ve suggested that the Unified States of Mana is itself fallen, thus we’re all ‘the fallen’.”

“I guess, but I don’t think that part matters much.” I say, “Rather, we’re supposed to find and earn the trust of the scholar, the songbird, the smith, and the listener.”

“A little difficult when we don’t know many people.” Eshya points out.

“I’ll ask around.” Nel says, “If that isn’t an issue for you, Adler?”

Adler doesn’t respond immediately, looking thoughtfully down at her feet as she walks. It seems she’s deep in her own mind, probably going over the pros and cons of imprisoning us.

“I want to find this group.” Adler says, “I want to find out what they think. If they’re a problem, I’ll speak with the other welfare officers about it.”

“So, you’re fine with tracking them down?” I confirm, and she nods quietly. I’ll feel a little bad if we’re going to be bringing the welfare officers down on them, but they surely already know that Adler’s with us. If not, well I’ll make it clear when we talk with their scholar, smith and whatnot.

“We’ll dig around, then.” I say, getting on the elevator and gritting my teeth at the strange sensation of getting gripped by magic.

Up on top of the island, Eshya is the one to seize the lead. Her excitement couldn’t be clearer as she pulls us along.

The dance hall, or ballroom, or whatever it’s meant to be called, is only a short walk away. Its tall walls stand at near ten metres tall and are untouched by paint. Small figures of ancient elves are carved into it, like gargoyles but less evil looking.

At the four corners of the structure, built into the wall, are trees, each tall, wide, and perfectly uniform. The trunks are covered in many layers of golden amber, that are perfectly smoothed and polished.

Inside, there is no ceiling and no roof. Instead, there is a low canopy formed by the weaving branches of the four pillar trees, and past that the ever-present high canopy of the world tree.

Of course, such a sight is confusing to my human sensibilities in so many ways. I’m left with countless questions that need answering.

“First up, where are all the dead leaves?”

“What?” Eshya asks.

“The dead leaves. Leaves and branches fall off of trees, don’t they? Or is that not a thing here? Actually, what about that giant tree, a single leaf from that would demolish this entire academy.”

“Huh…?” Eshya looks up at the spreading branches above us, “They don’t fall.”

“What?” It’s my turn to be confused.

“Most trees have mana stored in their branches and leaves.” Vii explains, “These ones especially, and the world tree is a special case even then, if they fell off all the time the trees would lose too much mana and die.”

“I guess it’s not the weirdest thing I’ve heard since coming here.” I begrudgingly accept.

“Let’s get on with it then, times wasting.” Eshya says, pulling me by the hand into the centre of the room.

“We don’t need music?” I ask.

“I’ve got it,” Nel says, “Let’s start with something simple and slow.”

She messes with a small platform over to the side of the room, the liquid metal display shifting at her touch. I get the feeling she’s been here already and knows what she’s doing.

Music floods the room from every angle, and I can’t tell where it’s coming from. There are no speakers, or even glowing spots like with the lights, it’s almost as if the floor and the walls are themselves making the music.

The soft and gentle tune sounds like some sort of stringed instrument. It builds up slowly and pleasantly until finding a steady rhythm.

Eshya pulls me close, her arms wrapping about my waist. The music inspiring her to move and act.

“There are a few ways to dance to this, but it is usual for the taller person to hold their partners waist as the shorter goes for the shoulders.” She explains, her touch experienced and sure.

Beside us, Nel and Vii begin to their own attempt at dance, a little awkward because of Vii’s talons and wings, but still lively.

As I try to follow her movements, she pulls me around the room, taking each step carefully and guiding me when I move out of pace. The few times I accidentally step on her feet don’t seem to bother her at all.

We dance and dance, my feet slowly finding their place. Even so, many little things distract me. The warmth of her hands as she pulls me around, the heat of her breath when our faces are near, and the wonderous shine of her eyes as she smiles.

Caught up in these distractions, I trip up and stumble, but Eshya catches me as I fall. Her face right before mine, she leans close and our lips brush so gently that I’m not even sure it can be called a kiss.

I wrap my arms around her neck and seize the real thing.

“Seems like a good chance to take a break.” Eshya says, and I realize just how much of a sweat we’ve built up.

“Do you two need a drink?” Nel asks, offering some water that she’s found on her own break.

“Thanks,” I say, gulping the water down quickly, “So what do you think from watching? Am I a natural? The best that ever was?”

“Eshya’s dancing is quite nice.” She says, talking from the side of her mouth.

“If you haven’t gotten a Skill yet, then you’re not naturally talented, I’m afraid. You’ll have to try harder to succeed.” She says, before asking further, “Are you properly cycling your mental mana form?”

“Not well,” I admit, my focus has been slipping and I’ve let my mental mana form fade from my focus. Quietly redoubling my efforts, I feel my head gradually warming with the swarming energy. My brain isn’t really that large, so trying to focus my mana on it is essentially the same as forcing a mana vortex to stay in effect.

Mana vortexes are naturally, constantly tearing themselves apart, so this is not something simple to accomplish.

“It’ll become natural soon enough. To be honest, the amount of mana you’re moving about is impressive enough considering where you started. Your head doesn’t feel pained or anything, does it?” Nel asks.

“It’s not pleasant, but the warmth makes it feel like I’m achieving something. I don’t want to get to class without any mana sense.”

“Don’t worry yourself too much.” Eshya says, “Pushing yourself so hard might end up slowing you down. I was told something interesting in mana class. Apparently, those who push themselves too hard usually end up worn down by the stress and stall their progress.”

“I can handle the stress,” I tell her firmly, “Though a few distractions like this one are still helpful.”

“Then, let me distract you next,” Vii says, suddenly excited for it, “Nel’s too good for me.”

“You’re saying that I’m a worse dancer than you?” I ask, taking her feathered half-hand.

“I’m implying it.” She says proudly, “Let’s test it.”

With the same energy as I’d expected of her, she dives into a dance that neither of us know. I’m not sure it’s even really a dance, but it’s fun, and her light laughter eases the anxiety that I didn’t even know was affecting me.

Adler watches us from the side of the room, her expression tense and difficult. We’ve been ignoring her for a while, but I don’t feel particularly guilty about it.

She’s not one of us. Instead, she’s a threat to us.

The next break in dancing comes when Vii needs a moment to rest her feet. Apparently this much dancing is a little difficult on her, but with her energy it’s difficult to notice.

While I’m free, I walk over to Adler.

“Is something the matter?” She asks me.

“You seem a little lonely,” I say, planning out how I might interact with her. I can’t leave her to her own thoughts too much.

“I’m sorry, but I have to be here. If I’m allowing you all to remain free, I at least have to observe you closely.” She says with a small bow of her head.

I offer her my hand.

“What is it?” She asks, tilting her head in confusion.

“Dance with me.” I say, “Maybe if you try and understand us a bit better, we can all get along better.”

“I… I suppose it couldn’t hurt.” She replies, hesitantly following after me.

As soon as I step onto the dance floor, I can feel how well practiced she is. She moves with a certainty and confidence that I’m starting to recognise as a Skill. Her steps are imperfect only when she adjusts to my mistakes.

“You’re pretty good at this,” I say.

“You need practice.” She replies, meeting my eyes. “But you’re learning fast.”

“Thank you.” I reply, my hand on her side. Her snow-white hair bounces with our steps, and I start to notice just how pretty she is. If only she wasn’t a welfare officer…

After an hour of laughing, dancing, and chatting, I get my first dancing Skill.

 

~Skill developed.

~Chaos dance, (Unclassed)

 

Something in my mind snaps together, like a connection between neurons has been suddenly reinforced by the wires fed through my grey matter. Even as I’m distracted by the sensation, my footwork continues without any effort.

“Ah, you’ve got a Skill.” Nel smiles up at me before adjusting the pace of her steps. As I try to match her, my feet get caught up in one another and I only keep from falling because of her grip on me.

Her smirk proves her intent to trip me up.

“Just thought I’d give you an extra lesson,” She says, pulling me close and hugging me a moment, “Don’t trust Skills on their own. Without great effort and practice your Skills are inflexible.

“Your Skill couldn’t increase your pace to match mine, even though the steps remained the same. Further practice can make it more flexible.” She explains, “Do you want to keep going?”

“I’ve still got strength in my legs.” I reply, a smile rising on my lips.

The dance continues and I can feel the Skill working to place my feet ahead of me. It takes focus and effort to adjust whenever Nel, or Eshya change something about the dance, or the entire time that I’m dancing with Vii, who breaks my Skill entirely by her greater chaos.

It may not be perfect, but it is interesting to feel the boost that the Skill gives me. The feeling is not entirely new, but without the stress of fighting, or practicing fighting, it’s easier to notice.

After another break, the dance lessons grow more intense yet far more fun. I don’t know how much time passes, but eventually the light in the sky fades, and most of us are left collapsed, sweaty and tired, on the side of the room.

“So have you figured it out what to do, yet?” Vii asks, lazily looking over the paper that I’m reading through again.

“Ask around, I guess.” I reply, “I don’t feel like joining any strange secret society. Not formally at least. If I’m going to be a part of anything like that, I’m going to be the one in control. Though, maybe I can find allies there, or some other secrets about this world.

“We’ll have to make a move of our own eventually, but not yet. I need to know more about this world, I need to have Adler under control.”

Flicking through my classes list, while rubbing at my head, I check again for anything that I might have missed. There’s plenty more classes that might be nice to take, in a better world where I’m not already overworked.

Again I notice the little help button with the picture of the elf on it. A lead that I haven’t yet looked into.

“There’s nothing to lose, I suppose.” I say, finally selecting it and writing a message. The illusory yellowed paper is filled in with thoughts over any writing, and it takes a few minutes to get used to.

As far I can tell, this should ask for assistance form the equivalent of a system administrator. I’ve been hesitant so far, partly because I’m not even sure whether my assumption about it is correct, and partly because I don’t want to be blocked for causing a bother.

I should be careful about how I approach this.

After a bit of thinking, I decide on a strategy.

 

Hi,

About this support device, and the information systems programmed into it. I was wondering if it wouldn’t be better to apply a database model for the ‘classes’ over the current listings. Increasing the customisability of the user interface, and adding a function to take notes also seem like basic functions that are missing.

Do you have any plans to update, and add any of these features in the near future?

I would be happy to assist if there’s anything that needs testing.

 

-Kyra Baker

 

God, I feel like such an idiot writing this.

I’m hardly an expert in this sort of thing, barely knowledgeable enough that I can string together this message and maybe bullshit my way through a conversation. So, trying to act like I’m more than just computer literate hurts me deep down inside. I feel like I’m going to get a reply too complex for me to understand but… the risk is worth the reward.

If I can open a dialogue with an admin of this device, I can learn something more about it. I try to keep the sour expression from my face as I press the send icon. Unfortunately, the window just closes, leaving me wondering if my message even got sent.

Yet another flaw in the support device.

“Is anyone else hungry?” Nel asks, as we watch Eshya dancing with Adler. They’re holding a quiet conversation that leaves me a little worried.

They’re an odd pair, and there’s a certain hostile energy to their dance. Yet, there’s beauty in it. They both know the steps well and they both move quickly and confidently, occasionally pulling in close to continue their whispered conversation.

“Is it strange that I feel jealous watching them?” I say, squirming a bit.

“I was asking about food.” Nel says with a sigh, “They are both talented.”

“I think she was referring to romantic jealousy.” Vii says, making me squirm a bit.

“Oh?” Nel asks in apparent surprise, “Jealous for Eshya or for Adler?”

“I don’t know.” I reply, watching them finally separate.

I step up and rush over to hug Eshya tightly. She’s sweaty, and smells a bit, but I don’t care.

“Woah, what’s this about?” She asks, returning the affection.

“You and Adler were really getting into it while dancing,” I say.

“Oh?” She chuckles, running her hand through my hair. “Don’t worry, I’m not about to run off with a welfare officer.”

“I know, but feelings are stupid sometimes, and hugs help make things better,” I say, trying to say as much with as much mature confidence as I can manage.

It’s a very mature and sensible action I’m taking. It’s not good to let jealousy fester, and I’m just dealing with it before it becomes a problem.

“Yes, hugs are nice.” She replies with a chuckle, patting my back.

“Let’s head to dinner.” Nel says, as I settle down, “Some food would do us well.”

“Yeah,” I agree, wiping the sweat from my face, “But, let’s clean up first.”

My errant emotions are back in check, and I’m already formulating ideas and plans for the future. Until I take a few classes and get used to life here, I’m planning based on guesses and uncertainties.

After cleaning up back at the dorm, we head out for dinner while chatting about silly little nothings.

While eating, I hear a strange pinging noise.

 

Message received.

 

The words appear on a little banner hovering over the mark on my hand. I don’t hesitate, opening it immediately to look at the message written on phantasmal, yellowed paper before my eyes.

 

Hello student Kyra,

 

I am incredibly glad to hear from you, or more specifically, from a human of your civilisation. The truth is, this device, while others might consider it finished, truly is as unpolished as you allude to in your message.

My inspiration for these changes come from your world, and it would be a pleasure to have your input on assisting with further development. As well as to discuss things from your world.

This all said, I am rather busy maintaining these devices at the moment so I cannot currently do much to work on these issues yet. It would be a pleasure to keep in contact with you.

Further, are you perhaps familiar with something called ‘video games’?

 

Huh, this elf is a gamer?

I think I get why the support device is familiar, but I’m growingly offended at how simplistic these RPG elements are. What sort of crappy games has he been playing?

“I’ll need to straighten him out.” I say, fixing up a reply.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

~Skills:

-Mana drain touch

-Mana skin

-Mana shield.

-Mana surge strike

-Mana surge kick

-Flame burst

-Fireball

-Infused Delayed Casting

-Harsh petting

-Chaos dance

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

~Mana Form: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop your mana form.

Current mana density: 333 units

~Mana distribution:

Skin: 21%

Muscle: 8%

Mind: 8%

Cardiovascular: 8%

Misc.: 3%

Efficiency: 48%

 

~Fire Magic: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for fire manipulation.

-Skill: Flame burst

-Skill: Fireball

 

~Space Magic: Grade 1

Current goal: Complete a mana-space conversion.

 

~Healing Magic: Grade 1

Current goal: Complete a mana-life conversion.

 

~Combat Training: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for weapons handling.

 

~Defensive Techniques: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for reactive mana skin.

-Skills: Mana skin

 

~Combat Techniques: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for mana infusion strikes.

-Skills: Mana shield.

 

~Wilderness Survival: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for tracking.

 

~Infusion Techniques: Grade 1

Current goal: Refine infused casting Skill.

-Skills: Infused Delayed Casting

 

~Bestiary Studies: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for identifying beasts.

 

~Beast Dissection: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for clean cutting.

 

~Beast Taming: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for empathic reading.

 

~Tactical Command: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for clear communication.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

//Author Note

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