“We call it the cultivation room. Pretty cool, isn’t it?”

Marv preened as he showed off the room. He had a lot to brag about. I hadn’t been able to see it from outside, but the room was gorgeous. Flowers of all shapes and sizes greeted me.

Then there was the mana. It flew in the air and mixed with the ground. Every spot the orange mist touched grew brighter, more vibrant. There was a faint wind entering through a window, and along with it came the smell of perfume and petals.

“I’m going to leave you to it. Don’t party too hard.” Marv joked.

He walked over to the side of the room, and I could see him keeping his eye on me while trying to look casual. Without my father here, he had to be extra careful to not let me get hurt. I gave him a nod and then turned away from him. He wasn’t going to bother me for a while.

I’m free to explore.

There was a stone in the middle of the room, occupied by a man in a black robe. He sat cross-legged and mana rained down onto his body. I examined the stone carefully. There were no symbols etched into it, and it was same for the walls. I looked up at the ceiling and expected to see a device similar to the one in the nursery. There was nothing there.

I don’t know how this place is powered.

Something was gathering the mana here. The whole atmosphere was remarkably different from the outside world. My house had barely seen any mana, except for when the first night happened and my Mark activated.

This mana was also orange. I’d only encountered gold mana naturally. The inscriber had also had different colours of mana. If something was gathering this type of mana, then maybe I could get a similar thing for my house. Not now, but in the future.

There were a lot more plants than I was expecting. Marv hadn’t used the word ‘earth’ to describe this tower. He used the word ‘nature’. That must mean that some of these magicians focused on plant life and maybe even animals with their magic.

I waddled to the nearest flora and pressed a leaf between my fingers. Small prickles edged out of it, folding over as my finger ran across them. It was vibrant green and felt like an ordinary plant.

It had orange and purple bulbs and its petals spread across the ground like tentacles. I’d never seen anything like it. I hadn’t been a plant guy back on Earth. Maybe this life would be different. If I can create earth, then I might be able to create plants as well. That would be cool.

There were gardens of plants around the room. Small patches had been left open for people to sit in. I made my way towards one of the dirt patches. It was surrounded by red and blue plants, and they clung to me as I passed by them, but I brushed them off.

I created some dirt of my own and placed it where I was going to sit. The room instantly adjusted, tendrils of orange energy grasping at the dirt and assimilating it into the surroundings. I peeked at the man sitting on the stone. His mask was off, and his eyes were closed. The earth around him thrummed with power, the mana swirling over his body in a steady pattern.

Something caught my eye. The air in front of the man was distorted. Not everywhere, but in enough places to make me take a second glance. Pebbles and particles of dirt floated around him like planets around the sun. They stuck together, forming towers and pillars. Then they broke apart only to merge with the next particles they came into contact with.

This was earth manipulation.

I sat down and crossed my legs. It was a familiar motion. The one I used for meditation. I took a deep breath and calmed my mind. My toes dug into the soil, and I brought my hands together in a resting position.

This entire place made me feel amazing.

It was like taking a breath in a humid room after being in the desert. The room was quiet. There was nothing to distract me, and the feeling of mana was everywhere. I closed my eyes, and I could feel the mana brushing against my skin. It invigorated me, and I was more connected to the dirt than I had been at home.

I steadied my breathing and focused on the world around me. Dirt, stones, pebbles, and even plants. I wanted to connect with the objects. It was time to learn earth manipulation.

I closed my eyes and allowed my mind to wander. I imagined the area that I’d gone into before, the empty space where I had learned my skills. The world rippled around me, and I was floating above the empty space. The earth symbol was still there. Pulsating with power.

I wasn’t here for that today.

I was in my adult body. I looked down at the ground, empty and dark. That wouldn’t do. I gestured with my hand and the ground trembled. Dirt rose from underneath and took over the surface. I added plants, criss-crossing over the dirt and then I sprinkled a single stone over it in the centre.

It was an exact replica of the cultivation room.

My body floated down from the sky, and I lowered myself to the ground, bringing myself into a seated position that matched my physical body.

I felt something pluck at my heart and I looked up to see the earth symbol shaking. It glowed and orange mana rained down from the sky. In seconds it had merged with the surroundings.

My body took another breath in, and the copy in my mind followed. I focused on the dirt around me, just like I had during the first night when I’d moved mountains, rocks, and stones.

I would do the same now.

In my mind I gestured with my hand and the dirt around me shifted, gently at first, then it sped up. Tendrils of earth snaked around me, slithering across the ground at my command.

Half a dozen appendages rose from the ground and darkened the sky. The dirt was endless and joined with rocks and stones flying through the air. In my mind there was no limit to what I could create, and what I could control.

I turned my attention towards the plants next. I willed them to grow and move. I placed all of my concentration on them and imagined them bending to my will.

They didn’t budge.

That was strange. I flipped my fingers towards the dirt tendrils, and they moved at my command. Complicated shapes formed in the air. A leg sprouted out of one of the tendrils, followed by another. It formed into a dog that pranced around the sky, barking.

Two stones flew through the sky at my will. They paused in front of the dog, and then grew. Lines appeared in the stones, and towers formed out of them. Then houses. It was all my creation. There was nothing limiting the imagination in my mind.

I turned back to the flowers and plants. I raised my hand just as I had for the dirt and stones. I expected the plants to grow into the air and join the other objects I was controlling.

Nothing.

The plants teased me with rustling leaves. Nothing I did affected them. This was my mind. Why wouldn’t these plants do as I wanted?

A doubt implanted itself in my mind. I was trying to learn magic and unlock it in real life. It was possible that this wasn’t actually my mind. I looked up at the glowing symbol that had taken up occupancy here.

There were some things beyond my control, even in my own thoughts. I could accept that.

I waved my hand and the plants disappeared. I would focus on them later. It was time to concentrate on what I could affect. I didn’t want to move dirt and stones forever. They were only a stepping point.

The ground cracked and groaned in protest as mountains rose from it. I took in a deep breath and then I willed the mountains to follow my commands. The stone resisted me, maybe because of its size, but it soon gave way and began to move in the direction I wanted it to. I could feel the power in my mind, in my soul. The ability to move the earth as I wanted.

Yes. This was it. The earth manipulation that I wanted to unlock.

A sound tore through my concentration.

My mental construct shattered. The mountains crumbled and disappeared into waves of darkness. I grabbed at them desperately and tried to bring them back. I failed.

What was that sound?

I opened my eyes and returned to the cultivation room. Anger flashed across my heart, but it was quickly replaced with confusion.

Marv ran towards me and scooped me up, placing his mask on his face as he did so. The other bronze mask in the room was standing now and walking towards the door. Marv followed closely behind him. Neither of them was the source of the sound.

My dad‘s hands reached for me the moment I was outside the door. Marv let go of me without comment. The sound came from outside the tower, a loud claxon that echoed across the eight spires and down onto the compound.

It was an alarm.

Any anger at being interrupted was gone now, wiped away by the concern of my father and seriousness of Marv’s demeanour. We rushed out of the door of the tower and instead of walking down the corridor back to the centre spire, we made our way to the wall.

My head bobbed up and down as we ran up the stairs, no time for subtlety or care. My father moved with practised precision, no panic in his eyes, only determination.

My body relaxed, and I tried not to distract them.

Marv’s robes changed as he moved. His mask glowed, and the three holes that represented eyes were covered in mana. The mask was a magic item. I should’ve known that.

A group of bronze masked members was gathering on top of the wall and one of them walked up to us.

“Sir.” The bronze mask saluted Marv.

“Where is it?” Marv asked the man.

Where is what?

“Pelât.” The man put a strange accent on the word. “It’s estimated to be five minutes old. The bronze mask gestured towards the courtyard. “The men are prepared.”

Marv and my father walked towards the edge of the wall, and I craned my neck to see what they were staring at.

Oh.

I’d thought the group of knights I’d seen training were all the fighters Zodiac had. I was wrong.

A group five times bigger lined up in the yard. They’d split into three sections, led by individuals in bronze-tinted armour.

There was no panic in their eyes. None of them looked confused, and none of them made a sound.

My father’s eyes were glued on the procession, and I looked to see what Marv was doing. He was gone. I frowned and looked to my side where the bronze masks had been gathering. They were gone too.

Where…?

I’d had a fun time exploring Zodiac and I was already making plans to use their facilities and work for them. I was looking at the benefits they brought and cheering the whole time, but there was a gap in my knowledge.

I was inside a compound the size of a town. The company hired scribers, had buildings dedicated to raising magicians, and trained legions of knights, and I’d never once asked myself the obvious question.

What does Zodiac do?