I awaken surrounded by a pleasant warmth and covered in sticky sweat. For the first time in my life, it isn’t because of a severe summer and a cheap fan pushing hot air. The sweat this morning isn’t so entirely unpleasant, purely for how well it reminds me of last night.

I don’t recall falling asleep, so I can only suppose that my dreams were a continuation of the pleasures of last night. Where reality was traded with fiction I can’t tell, and I don’t really feel a need to try and figure it out.

I gently kiss Vii’s forehead since she’s so close to me, and her sleeping face is too cute to ignore. My inhibitions have all but vanished for now, but perhaps they’ll return once the daylight shines through and makes more clear where my body ends and another begins.

The window, shimmering with the same protections as in the baths above, shows only dark shadows and faint glowing crystals. The land below extends into a thousand shining stars while the true sky is shadowed in darkness by the world tree’s branches. An inverted night sky.

I sit and watch it, feeling no need to fall back to sleep and satisfied with the pleasures of last night. If anything, I think my body aches a little from all the exercise, my fingers especially.

It’s strange how natural this feels. It shouldn’t. A relationship like ours would be seen as highly unusual back home, and on top of that there’s the fact we’ve only known each other for less than a week. Still, in that week we’ve almost died a dozen times over. Perhaps this is an affection born less from pure love and more from desperation. The suspension bridge effect taken to whole new levels.

Whatever the case may be, I’m happy with where it’s ended. Greedy as I am, I want them all to be happy alongside me, and I’ve got a chance to make it happen. I just can’t afford to screw this up.

I let myself think, while the others still sleep.

I need to plan out my survival and my rise to power. I need to be better than I am, and I need to surround myself with talented people, but even that is only enough to get me to the starting line.

I’ll need to learn this worlds politics, I’ll need to learn more about rebel politics, I’ll need an army. Taking control of the Unified States army and staging a coup is always a possible means, though likely filled with difficulties I can’t even imagine yet.

I need information and knowledge to get the power to change this world. Funnily enough, this Academy should be the perfect place for it.

We’ll also need a place to train away from prying eyes and to that end, I’ll probably need to leave to search for it before Adler shows up to bother us again.

Perhaps the nights here last longer, or perhaps I’ve grown used to a more troubled sleeping cycle but whatever the case I’m not getting back to sleep. I’m conflicted for a few minutes between letting everyone rest and waking them, but in the end, I already know we can’t be wasting more time.

With this thought in mind, I finally stir my friends, or perhaps lovers is now a more accurate term.

“Kyra?” Vii asks with a large yawn, to her side Nel begins to wake as well.

“Yep, I was hoping you’d want to come with me as we chase down those ghosts.”

“Don’t we have class?” Vii asks.

“Orientation week,” Nel says, “We should be free to get our bearings, classes will begin next week.”

“Oh, that’s useful.” Vii says, prying herself up and looking about for her clothes, “So what was it we’re doing?”

“Looking for ghosts.” I say, “Though I’m more wanting to poke about in the ruins you mentioned, Nel.”

“Yes, I have some idea where we might find them. This might not be the same academy I went to, but they’re mostly all the same in design.”

“Well, let’s get ourselves together and be off then.” I say suppressing a yawn.

“What about her?” Nel asks, poking at the unresponsive Eshya. She’s curled up in her blankets, clutching them tight even in her sleep.

“Oi, Eshya.” I say, poking her forehead. She squirms a little but doesn’t wake.

“Eshya?” I try again, but still, she doesn’t wake.

I try planting a kiss on her lips, but she doesn’t even seem to notice.

“Vii come over here and wave your feathers under her nose,” I say.

As requested, she waves her long black feathers under Eshya’s nose and this time she squirms from the sensation. Opening her eyes, she lets out the strangest sound.

“Nyaaaa!” She cries, “Who… why… sleep.” She mumbles closing her eyes again for a second before I ruthlessly pull her blankets from her.

She moans lifelessly as she rolls from bed.

“I’m up, I’m up.” She says, slowly crawling around to pick up her scattered clothes. Frowning as she notices their unclean state. None of us has spare sets of clothes yet, another thing that we should get done by tonight.

“We’ll go up to the baths and use the cleansing stones then head out.” I say, wearing my clothes and trying to ignore the unpleasant sensation of cold sweat staining them. My underwear is in an even worse state.

It isn’t much longer before we’re stumbling out of the dorm, cleaned and ready. Though Eshya is still a bit weary, rubbing her eyes and yawning every now and again.

“Down I presume?” I ask Nel who nods as she shivers in the chill morning air. The buildings, and the path at our feet are illuminated by the dull shine of the green crystal above us, making it about as bright as the night of a full moon.

“So… are we going to talk about last night?” Vii asks nervously, hopping a little as she glances back and forth between us. She doesn’t seem able to meet any of our gazes for more than a second.

“What about it?” Eshya says with a long yawn, “It doesn’t seem the best time to be criticising technique.”

“Not, not like that!” She shakes her head, “I mean, like what, are we?”

“I don’t quite understand.” Eshya says without putting any thought into the question.

“You mean to say, you want to know where our relationships are headed from here?” Nel asks, and Vii nods eagerly, “I want us to stay together. To learn together, depend on each other, and survive together.”

“That,” I say pointing at Nel, “And more nights like last.”

“That, I understand,” Eshya adds eagerly.

When we get to the elevator platforms, we fumble around for the sensor, careful of the long drop from the edge of the island. After we find it, it takes another few minutes before I have the confidence to walk out on the partially see through platform.

As it lowers, I can again see the crystal tree beneath the island. While it doesn’t glow as the crystals around do, it does reflect the light in such mesmerising patterns that dance about as we slowly get closer and closer to the ground.

“Now, isn’t that something beautiful…” I whisper, trying to take it all in. This place certainly has its charm, even if that charm has been copied and pasted a couple million times all over the surface of the planet.

“It is beautiful.” Eshya admits with a yawn, “But did we have to get up this early?”

“Ghosts aren’t out in the middle of the day.” Nel says, “Besides, we’re trying to avoid Adler, right?”

“Right, right.”

“We’re trying to find a quiet place where we can train without worry?” Vii asks, “Will it even be safe to be training fighting in underground ruins? Won’t they collapse? Isn’t it way too small and tight?”

“Not really.” Nel says, “They’ve managed to stay together for so very long that I doubt that they’d collapse from just a little bit of magic. There should also be some larger facilities down there, or so I hope.”

“Okay, so where do we start then?” I ask her as we finally set foot on the ground again. As much as I try to suppress it, falling into utter darkness is not the most comfortable experience I’ve ever had.

“This way.” Nel says, leading us away and into the dark maze. Thankfully, there is still enough light around from the large glowing crystals that we don’t lose our way.

We did find small, light-enchanted wands in the chests at the ends of our beds. Though we aren’t wanting to draw too much attention to ourselves, so we keep quiet and make do with the dull shine of the crystals overhead.

We pass a few other students who spare us a few curious glances, I would guess from their demeanour that they’re nocturnal, whether it’s their race, or from midnight gaming sessions.

Nel leads us along the main streets and down a set of stairs just off from the main thoroughfare. It’s not some secret hidden entrance or anything the sort, but regardless the door at the end of the staircase doesn’t seem at all well used.

“This should be it.” She declares, “Or at least the more well-known entrance. There isn’t usually much reason for people to come down here, so though it’s well known, not many pass through.”

“Rather strange… a trap?” I say, pushing against a panel that I’m starting to recognise as the activation mark for most of these enchanted devices.

“I don’t think so. It’s just how things are here.” Nel replies, following after me.

We pull out our light wands and close the door behind us. The light wands look not that different from something a certain spectacled wizard would be waving around, but instead of using it to cast spells, it’s enchanted to shine light forwards.

It’s a flashlight, that’s in the shape of a wand. You could probably find something just like it for sale on the internet and made in China.

“What do you think we’ll find down here?” Eshya asks, stumbling around behind me. So far, this room seems little different from the in-use buildings that we’ve been in above. There doesn’t even seem to be any dust.

“Treasure.” Vii declares, “Ancient relics of the old era of the Unified States.”

“The old era?” Nel asks, apparently as clueless for me for once.

“You know, you know! Before the welfare officers, back when elves were great warriors and cut this empire out of the greater realms. A time of legend.” She says joyously before cutting off, “You guys aren’t familiar with it?”

“Things have always been this way, haven’t they?” Nel asks, and Eshya shrugs.

“I was taught the same, we’ve always been at peace and such. I’m interested in hearing more about these ancient elvish warriors, though.”

“You seriously never learned about this?” Vii asks, seeming concerned, “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Why not? It’s not like we’re going to go telling the welfare officers about it.” Eshya laughs patting her on the back.

Vii gives a small yelp at her sudden touch. I can see her flushing even in the dim light reflected off of the white stone walls.

“Why don’t you tell us about it?” I suggest, “I’m guessing you’re talking about the beginnings of the Unified States of Mana?”

“Ah, yes. I’m not sure how much I should really say.” She struggles for a while before shaking her head and resigning herself, “Screw it. Yeah, the Unified States didn’t start off the way it is now. It used to be a powerful military empire, spanning all of creation.”

“Well, it still covers most of creation.” Nel says with a shrug.

“Not really…” Vii says with a difficult expression, “Remember the planet we were on with Red? That used to be a curated world, not quite as thorough as this one, but it used to be something like it at least. Now? It’s abandoned and left to nature, and it’s hardly the only one.”

“That hellhole was like here?” I turn to face her, “What the hell happened?”

“The Unified States couldn’t keep up with the beast infestations.” Vii says, “Here the world is fully curated but in most worlds, there are still some native species surviving, thriving even. When elves were warriors, it wasn’t a problem. Beasts made for good training and all that. When violence was shunned, they lost the strength to deal with the beasts.”

“So why did they give up their soldiers?” I ask, pushing on down the tunnel, “Also, is someone else keeping track of where we’ve been and where we’re going? I can get us back from here but any further and I’m going to get lost.”

“Kyra, you do know there haven’t been any branching paths yet, right?” Eshya asks.

“That’s my point. When we find one, I’m going to get us lost.”

“I’ll lead,” Nel says, shaking her head and smiling at me.

“So, anyway, why did they give up their soldiers?” I ask again.

“The age of enlightenment.” Vii says, “There are a number of theories but for some reason once the empire no longer had any large-scale competition the army was disbanded. Perhaps they feared there would be a military coup, perhaps they simply grew tired of war, no one really knows for sure, but after that the Office of Welfare was founded and the leadership fell apart. Then, a whole lot of nothing up to today.”

“That’s a lot to take in.” Eshya says, shaking her head and rubbing her temple, “But it is nice to know that I have the blood of great warriors running through my veins.”

“Well, technically we’re all related to them.” Vii says with a shrug.

“Huh?”

“Ah, that’s just… it’s the upbringing project. It’s… I’ll talk about that one another time, okay?” She says, shying away a bit.

“Well, what about today then?” I ask, “What’s politics like in the US of M?”

“US of M?” Nel asks, shaking her head as she leads us down a dark stairwell going deeper into the complex. Things are starting to seem a little more interesting down here and I can see why it’s supposed to be haunted. The shadows at the edges of the light are feeling more and more dense and frightful.

“Today? I’m not sure...” Eshya says, “Do you know, Vii? You do seem to know an awful lot.”

“It’s not clear.” She says, “I don’t mean I don’t understand it or something like that. I mean the leadership and systemic functions are intentionally unclear. It’s either a conspiratorial governance where the leaders don’t want to be known, or it’s a leaderless society still functioning by habit more than planning and communication.”

“How would the latter even work?” Eshya asks, as we push through a set of inactive doors. The stone is thankfully easy to move even without the magic powering it.

“Everyone just keeps living like normal” Vii says, “The farmer plants, raises, reaps, and sells the product. Everyone else goes on the same. It’s a rather unusual situation, only conceivable due to the infallible nature of the welfare officers.”

We walk past dozens of doors, sometimes checking inside, sometimes walking past. So far, what little furniture we find has degraded to nothingness over time.

“What do you mean? How are the welfare officers responsible?” I ask, picking through a few scraps covered in ancient dust by the side of the hall. Nel quickly pushes us on, clearly hoping for something more.

“If there is a power vacuum, it should be already filled by aspiring kings, queens, and empress’s.” She says the last while smiling at me, “The welfare officers keep people in line and afraid and are so thorough in their own indoctrination that none among their own have risen to take the metaphorical throne.

“Though, this is all supposing that theory to be true. It may well be a conspiracy where the incompetent leaders don’t wish themselves to be known, or something we haven’t yet even considered.”

Vii has been talkative before, it seems this is something of a passion for her. It’s nice to hear even if the topic is sobering.

“None of the options sound good.” Eshya says.

“Well yeah,” Vii shrugs, “It is doomed.”

“The Unified States are doomed?” Nel asks and everyone turns to Vii.

“Well, yeah.” She shrinks back with a bit of a laugh, “I really need to shut up about these things.”

“No, it’s fine. You don’t need to be so hesitant with us.” I tell her.

“Fine, fine.” She says with a laugh, “I’m probably worried about nothing anyway. The Unified States don’t have the military power to last. Worlds like this one are protected by the remaining systems and technology of the old war-like empire, it’ll slowly fade as that technology degrades away.”

“Huh, well I’d better make my move then. A great time to start a new empire.” I say with a smile.

“Now is the best time for it.” Vii confirms without laughing.

“Now, this is interesting.” Nel says, peeking through a doorway left open, the door is no longer responsive. Through the gap I can see a large space that would be perfect for our training, and it definitely looks solid enough to hold up against our level of attacks.

“Wait.” Eshya hisses as she glares into the darkness. I follow her line of sight and notice a tall humanoid figure limping out of the darkness towards us. Something about it just doesn’t quite feel right.

“Ghost.” Nel whispers.

“Ssshh.” Eshya says.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Stats & Skills

~Mana Form:

Current mana density: 310 units

~Mana distribution:

Skin: 21%

Muscle: 7%

Mind: 3%

Cardiovascular: 7%

Misc.: 1%

Efficiency: 39%

~Skills:

-Mana skin

-Mana shield.

-Flame burst

-Fireball

-Infused Delayed Casting