We were all walking in the red light district.

Amygdala was still by my side with his arm around my shoulder and smiling, though he was no longer levitating. All the other guys in the gang were walking with us but none of them were talking to me.

“I thought you would fly all day? I would if I could,” I said.

“Technically I have enough mana to levitate all day if that’s the only spell I use. But if I don’t use my body then I’ll just get even skinnier, you know,” Amygdala said. “Anyway, tell me about yourself?” he said while smiling. “Where you from?”

I don’t like this big brother dynamic he’s trying to set, but I’ll play along for now.

“From the countryside outside Tyoto,” I said.

“Oh, we’ve got a farm boy from the village!“ Amygdala yelled. All the other guys in the gang briefly laughed then continued their own conversations.

“Where you from?” I said.

“Tyoto, born and raised. I live in Centro.”

“What?” I said, surprised.

“Oh yeah, I’m a rich kid. I live with my parents in one of the Gray Scrapers. How long have you been in Tyoto?“

“About half a year,” I said.

“Oh really? Where you staying?“

“At a shitty inn in Doya,” I said.

“Hahahaah you’re so broke!”

Want me to punch you in the face?

I smiled and said nothing.

“What’s your mana capacity?” Amygdala said.

“Mhmm… I can show you,” I said and pulled out my personal mana battery. I then felt the invisible goosebumps as I filled it with my mana.

A few seconds passed.

When I was done, Amygdala’s face turned serious as he stared at me. Then he snapped back into his usual smiling carefree attitude.

“That’s really cool! You probably have more mana than me!”

Should I tell him that I can fill it up three times a day because my mana regeneration is rapid as well? Yeah sure, what’s the worst that could happen.

“Yeah, my mana regeneration is fast as well. I can fill it up about three times a day,” I said.

“Shut the fuck up! As if!“ one of the guys from the gang said. He was the same one that had told me to fuck off back when I tried to introduce myself.

“You calling me a liar?” I said and looked him in the eyes. I could start to feel my blood run into my eyes and my tinnitus getting louder.

“Haha! Tray, chill,” Amygdala said.

So that faggot’s name is Tray? He’s the one from last time who made that waterball.

“So why’d you decide to leave the village and head over here?”

Amygdala said.

“I wanted to lose my virginity,” I said.

After I said that, all the tension in the air broke and everyone started laughing.

I didn’t say that to hear you laugh! Back in my village, there were almost no girls, and the only ones left were fat, ugly, and bitchy. And they didn’t wanna have sex unless you married them. Or at least that’s what they’d say, but behind closed doors, they would all be doing it with the village elder or his son. Disgusting place. So glad I’m here in Tyoto. None of that village bullshit here…

***

We eventually made it to the brothel. It looked like the gang went here often, because all the other guys had preferred prostitutes they went with, leaving me and Amygdala alone.

“Pick a girl, it’s my treat,” Amygdala said while smiling. He pointed at the available ‘girls’.

What the hell is this…

“What’s the wrong Precuneus?“ Amygdala said.

“I don’t wanna bang any of these so-called ‘girls’. Look at them! They’re all over 25 and look used and old and in layers of makeup. I came to Tyoto because I wanted 16-year-old girls. Thin and cute. No makeup. Just radiating youth. Thin ankles…” I was imagining a certain girl who I had wanted all my life. The village elder’s daughter who was married off to a richer man half a year ago. “I want beautiful young flowers, not these dried-up raisins.”

There was a pause where Amygdala just stared at me. Then he burst out laughing.

“Such greed and entitlement! I found a damn soliloquist huh? But yeah, I feel you. I prefer cute girls as well. I just bring the guys here and pay for them to let loose, you know. You know what…” Amygdala said, as he got closer and put his hand around my shoulder. “Be a good soldier, and I’ll make this dream of yours real! ”

He stared into my eyes with a weird smile.

I’m your soldier, huh? Fucking bastard. He’s just a village elder in the city. I despise everything about him.

I put on a smile.

“Fuck yeah!“ I said.

“My man! And don’t worry, I heard what you told Drago on the train. I’ll teach you magic. Though, after you prove your loyalty that is…“

Just great. Always an obstacle. Son of a bitch.

“Thanks, Amygdala. You’re a really good friend.”

***

When I got home, I capitalized on the mistake Amygdala made.

I sat on the floor of my room in a lotus position with my eyes closed.

“Come on… let’s recreate it. It felt like… shaking? Or vibrating? I don’t know how to describe it. But it felt different from the goosebumps.“

When Amygdala gave me a fistbump while levitating, and put his hand around my shoulder, I felt a new, very vague, sensation related to mana. But I still couldn’t figure out its nature. Or even sense it that well.

I kept trying to recreate the sensation, but nothing happened.

I sighed in frustration.

“Wait, this might work…”

I grabbed my personal mana battery. My mana had already recharged. I started channeling my mana into the battery and could feel the goosebump sensation of the mana moving. While that sensation was going on, I tried to reproduce the sensation I got from Amygdala.

I focused a lot. Then something happened.

“This is new!”

My right hand where I was trying to recreate the sensation was shaking on its own, with no movement from my muscles. I didn’t feel the same sensation I did from Amygdala, but this was entirely new and I was certain that it was related to mana.

And then it stopped because I ran out.

I let go and lay on the floor and looked at the ceiling.

“Finally… progress.”