“Tea was a good choice.” Caloner always found it better to chat over tea. It took every bit of charm and wit he could muster to have a private conversation with Talo. There was much he wanted to share from the wealth of knowledge Talo brought, but there was some he hoped would go to their graves.

“Do you know if the tea has ?” Talo was happy. Now he could converse closer with Caloner than anyone else on the planet.

“...the stimulant? To be honest I don’t know. All this knowledge of compounds is beyond us. We knew of many of the elements, and a few simple mixtures of elements like bronze...To be honest, it gives me more than a small headache to think of it all.”

“Look, let’s take turns teaching. I think we’re both quite overwhelmed by the immense amount of alien information we’ve exchanged. We can use simple methods at first. For example, does drinking this tea at night make it difficult to sleep?”

“Hmmm, this tea does not have that effect, but teas from the gonzong plant do. I suppose we have a road of empirical testing before us.”

“Indeed we do, but I have much more fear about this planet. The world I came from was quite peaceful in retrospect. Humans were the uncontested rulers of the planet. In fact, we couldn’t find any animals that replicated all of the aspects of human language. We thought it made us unique.”

“Ha! That's just pride from a lack of competition. We have legends of the great dragons breathing language into early humans so they would be better servants. Both the Elves and the Dwarves claim to remember the emergence of man, and that they were speaking clearly far before then.”

“See, that’s one of my fundamental concerns. What about evolution? You have a concept that everything changes, but what about the emergence of species? An evolutionary scale is huge, do they really have histories that go back millions of years?”

“Not millions. Or, at least not accurately. Hundreds of thousands are on the edge of possibility. I’m on good terms with some Elf historians. After you’re fit for travel we’ll have to schedule a visit.”

Talo winced a little and leaned back. “That brings me back to my main point. You have words for all sorts of beasts and threats that simply didn’t exist in my world. Similar figures appear in a few of our legends and fantasies, but nothing real. Remember, the god who sent me here said didn’t have mana.”

“I know. It’s something I keep thinking over. There are areas in Mankato that are close to mana free, and the creatures that live there are quite different. Most humans become ill if they stay there for too long. It’s a wonder you got anything done.”

“We accomplished plenty, as you well know. But individuals couldn’t obtain the power that can be wielded here. We weaponized nuclear fusion, but almost no one had the ability to use such weapons. Those bombs could level cities and turn islands to glass. You have words for spells and beasts that easily carry that power.”

“True. Thankfully they are few in number, and again not in the general population. Your cities amaze me more. How you were ever able to fit so many people in such a small area is astounding.”

Talo shook his head. Clearly he wasn’t getting his point across. “Look, I’m scared. No one in my world could be going around with a thermonuclear weapon in their pocket. I feel like someone here could activate that kind of power because someone spilled coffee on them. I need to start training, yesterday. I will need to know how to attack if I am to survive.”

“So it’s come to battle? Perhaps you have too much of your mother in you. Imagine if you showed some poor primitive member of your world the stockpiled power a few held? Would they not be terrified? This is beyond our control, and I urge you to not act out of fear. Bring good to our world, not war. Isn’t that what you also asked of the god? To be placed where you could ‘do good.’” Caloner smiled in his wisdom, he knew he had struck home.

Talo squirmed under the revelation. Could I be trusted with nuclear weapons? On Earth I wouldn’t even want the ability if offered. “Fine, I will commit myself to non-violence whenever possible. I was a pacifist on after all. But I must learn to defend myself and to control mana. What if I were to accidentally cause nuclear fission just because I was thinking about it?”

Caloner smiled and gave Talo a pat on the back. “You needn’t worry boy. That’s not the way magic works. Powaw will get you up to speed on the basics, but I’m more concerned with your development as a person. In our world, certain types of mana can help you live for hundreds of years. Given your mana well, you could outlive me. I want you to live that life to the full—centered, and with a purpose. Fear will rob you of that.”

“I realize I sound silly when I say it, but I’m not a child, don’t treat me like one.”

“Oh, not a child? How old were you when left ?”

“Thirty-six.”

“Ha, an absolute baby. Or what do you refer to people 10% your age? You just said you were a pacifist in the same breath that you insisted your need to train to attack. Here is my first lesson for you, meditate on it well.”

Talo rolled his eyes. I suppose living a few centuries makes you like a tenured professor. You’re going to be at least a little full of yourself.

“No snide thoughts, I can still read your face. Now, have you ever considered the difference between knowledge, wisdom, and understanding? For an example, I’ll go back to that lovely dental hygiene we were talking over with your mother.

In your world, you could know that you should brush your teeth. It was something you explained to children. You could understand that using fluoride helped change the surface of your teeth and helped kill the germs that cause plaque. But,” Caloner paused for dramatic effect, “if you did not brush your teeth, you did not have wisdom.

The Axculi have long held wisdom in the highest regard. Keep the traditions of your new people.”