"I've never met a better teacher than experience."
~ Garret McCullian, Captain of the 7th Regiment, 3rd Battalion
I blinked.
What a strange dream.
I wiped sleep from my eyes and looked around.
A cool vapor wove through the forest, and the sky was mostly grey overcast, the light falling weakly but evenly across the clearing.
I shifted to get up and stopped. I turned slowly, and looked down at Aurelia who was now only a step or two away from me, still with her back to me. She must have rolled over. I sat up, careful not to disturb her.
Then Sparky flew into my vision. His flame brightened, and the heat rose to a slightly uncomfortable degree.
"Settle down buddy. I'm up."
As he did his little dance through the air, I frowned. Unless I was mistaken, I was pretty sure Sparky had shrunk.
"Hey are you okay?"
Sparky seemed to dim a bit, and I saw his floating slowed since his initial excitement.
If I had to guess by his simmering flames and the fact he was more grape sized then golf-ball, he looked tired.
I thought back on the previous day. Spark was probably heating me during my hike through the woods, explaining how I didn't notice the cold until I saw Aurelia shivering.
Come to think of it, Aurelia didn't mention anything about me being warm even with us walking and sitting next to each other.
It wasn't until I asked Sparky to help that Aurelia even noticed the heat.
So that meant I asked him to push past whatever the normal "Spirit Output," was, and by that logic he was probably overclocking for the whole time Aurelia and I were asleep.
"Listen, Sparky, you can rest. I don't think Aurelia or I need you to be in campfire mode."
I glanced at Aurelia. Her cloak was at least pretty dry. I looked back at the Wisp. Hopefully that was enough without making a fool of myself via pantomime.
But the spirit got it and the heat dimmed by a couple of notches. I think if he had a mouth, Sparky would've sighed in relief.
"Sorry buddy, next time let me know if you are running out of juice, or whatever it is that you run on."
"You really aren't from around here are you?"
I turned towards the voice. Aurelia had sat up, still wrapped in her cloak. Her eyes were bright, and focused on me with a strange intensity.
"Morning Princess." I said, in an attempt to emulate morning cheer neither me nor my bruised ribs really felt.
Aurelia looked away from me and twisted a band of gold on her index finger.
It reminded me of those medieval heraldry I saw back home.
Now in the morning light I saw carved into the metal was a lion. It was standing on its back legs, and it held a sword in its right paw.
Of course.
House Goldmane.
My brow furrowed. I really hope there's no temperate forest lions in this world.
Aurelia's next words drug me out from my visions of Reinhardt embattled with a whole group of the creatures.
"From what I have seen, a spirit usually feeds off ambiant mana in a place, until they grow stronger and need to move to a place with more mana."
She looked up at me. I nodded that I was following along.
"When they bind to someone, they will feed off their aura. That way they can leave their nodes of mana."
I shot Sparky a glance. "Is eating my aura bad? What happens when I run out?"
As helpful as the little guy was, I couldn't say for certain he wouldn't eat me in a life or death scenario.
Aurelia smiled and shook her head. "No, it's not malicious."
She pursued her lips in thought.
"I suppose the best example would be that your aura is like a fire, and your Wisp is just feeding on the excess. Everyone releases mana naturally, unless they are trying not to."
I thought back on the previous day's activities, remembering the glow I saw around Reinhardt.
"If someone is using their mana, what does it look like?"
Aurelia shrugged.
"I have been told it depends on the person. But I am not the best one to ask that question. I can not see mana."
"What?"
"It is not a very common skill. Mages almost always can, but few people outside of their circles can see the threads of magic."
My brow creased as I considered the information. I had definitely seen something strange around Reinhardt. Maybe I had inherited something from Arthur after all.
For some reason the thought wasn't particularly comforting.
I focused back on Aurelia. I didn't want to daydream so much that she thought I lost interest.
"I see. On a slightly different note, can I use some of my mana to help Sparky faster? Like… feed him magic?"
Aurelia shifted slightly and looked down at the ring she started fiddling with again.
"I really do not have the best information on the topic. I was taught diplomacy and how to manage a court as a High Lady. I only know about Magecraft because it was a slightly more attractive pastime than illumination."
I decided to not question why her only other option for hobbies was playing with lights.
"I think you're underselling yourself Aurelia. Compared to an uneducated peasant like myself, you are a fountain of knowledge."
Aurelia smiled.
"That's more telling of you then it is of me, Sir Chosen."
"Yowch. Right between the ribs, Princess." I said, wincing at the jab.
Playful as it was, she was right. If I wanted to help her I needed to know more about this place.
I shifted into a more comfortable cross legged position.
Aurelia saw my movement, turned to face me, and her face became serious.
"To the best of my knowledge Chosen, yes, it is possible to restore the strength of a bonded spirit."
She shifted uncomfortably, and I spoke it for her.
"But?"
She nodded her head glumly.
"But I do not think your wisp has a bond with you, in the true form of it."
Aurelia paused, collecting her thoughts, then continued. She looked down at her ring, and twisted it, I could tell gears were turning.
"There is a certain spell that must be cast between Conjurer and Spirit that neither I, nor Reinhardt, have any knowledge of. The exact weaving is fairly unknown to those outside of the right guilds."
Well that was another task I filed away.
Note: Find a Conjurer willing to teach me this Binding Spell.
Unaware of my thoughts, Aurelia continued.
"Right now I think this Wisp, for some reason or another, just enjoys your presence enough that it is willing to tolerate the lower mana output naturally emanating from your aura."
I leaned foreward and shot a glance at Sparky, who seemed content to float in a lazy circle around me.
"Really? There's nothing I can do unless I get this magic Spell from a real Conjurer?"
Aurelia considered it for a moment but nodded her head in affirmation.
"Unfortunately, yes. Of course in times of stress or emotion, your Aura will naturally increase its emanation of mana, which I can only guess would speed your Wisp's recovery."
I folded my srms.
"My 'Wisp' has a name you know."
Aurelia rolled her eyes.
"I'm not calling your Spirit by whatever idiotic name you've given it."
She frowned.
"Also not only is it ridiculous to name a lower Spirit, it's also considered improper to use its nickname in non-private settings."
I waved the comment away.
"Bah, why would I care about what a bunch of nobles—."
Aurelia's upturned expression deepened more into actual anger.
"Present company excluded," I said hastily, getting a nasal sigh from the princess.
"I'm the Chosen, gosh dang it, and I'm thinking maybe it's time for a new status quo."
Aurelia tilted her head very slightly and seemed to be weighing my words.
Just as she was about to say something I heard a gravely cough. I whipped my head towards the noise, and saw Reinhardt standing shockingly close. Man, that guy was sneaky.
"Sir, My Lady," Reinhard said, standing at attention.
Aurelia nodded to the knight. With her leave the old soldier continued.
"I believe I found a suitable path for us to continue our trek."
The princess nodded, and stood up, looking down at me.
"Well?" She said, her sly smile returning.
I jumped to my feet, a similar grin on my face.
"I suppose we can continue talking about magic on our way to…" I trailed off and shot Reinhardt a look.
He nodded almost imperceptibly.
"As of now I believe the best course of action is to go to the North. They are honorable and mostly removed from the policies of the court. They would not approve of a coup against a man like King Harold, and it will be harder for Gavin's lies to reach them."
I gestured in a direction.
"Alright then team, let's move out! North, here we come!"
Aurelia, who had stepped closer when I was looking at Reinhardt, wordless grabbed my finger and turned my arm 90 degrees to the right
I nodded like I expected it. "Excellent, my lady, you passed my test. I wouldn't want to travel with a royal unknowing of the wild ways."
Aurelia seemed to find something particularly interesting in the trees above her.
Reinhardt stroked his chin, but pulled off the look of sage wisdom far better than I.
"They say the chosen was a great teacher, but to see the legend before my eyes is truly nothing short of miraculous."
"Praise Solarius, it's spreading," Aurelia said, but her deadpan had nothing on Reinhardt's.
The knight led the way, Aurelia behind him once again.
I shared a glance with Sparky, who, despite his more languid actions, seemed completely ecstatic to go on a quest.
"Then there were four," I said, hiking after the royal duo.
"Wait up!"
The fifth declined to comment on my ignorance of their presence.