The walk through the woods continued in relative silence. The crunch of leaves beneath our feet and the occasional painful grunt from Katherine being the only comfort we had as we kept towards our destination. Arisa had been quiet in my head for a while now, and Kai had been reluctant to make eye contact.

  It seemed he felt guilty for second guessing me after our earlier conversation about trust, but i didn't really blame him. It was just awkward more than anything and i wished someone would break the tension. Unfortunately it my wish was granted in the most unpleasant way possible.

  " Child, can you hear me? "

  I winced slightly at the unexpected noise in my head. " Yeah, what's up? "

  I sensed the disapproval in the casual greeting before she continued. " I have important news to discuss. After our earlier conversation, i spoke to our Elder about the information you gave me. To my surprise, she seemed unaffected by the conversation. Even the knowledge of beings with no magic capabilities seemed to not phase her. "

  " Okay... So what's the news then? " I asked confused.

  " It regards your survival and the status of reinforcements. Unfortunately your lack of combat and mana manipulation means you'll be in a much worse situation than i initially anticipated. " Came her smooth response.

  My shoulders tensed a bit at that and i swallowed dryly. " So what should we do? "

  " Firstly, you should be aware of two things. One, you will be meeting Brovaden tonight. It's not a question of if, but when. You've been leaking mana, and they've long since caught your smell and began moving towards your location. "

  She let that information sink in before continuing "Two, according to our Elder the best chance you have at survival is to split up. Brodaven find prey by using mana detection like i previously stated. Since your companions do not have any noticable traces of mana, they are safe from it. You are a danger to their survival. "

  I stopped in my tracks and my heart did a flip. " Me? I'm dangerous to them? "

  I turned and looked at the two companions next to me, and they gazed back with different levels of concern and intrigue. Arisa remained quiet as I studied their tired forms. They were exhausted, in pain, hungry and tired. It was my fault. Holding their gazes for a few more moments, i began walking again a bit faster.

  " What should we do then? Should I turn around and distract them deeper into the forest? How do i keep them safe? " I badgered her intensely.

  " You're awfully willing to throw your life away. Noble, if not foolish. Regardless of how guilty you feel, it would be best if we kept you all alive. We owe your bloodline a debt still. My Elder has no intention of forgetting that. " She said with a hint of a respect in her voice. Clearly she was pleased at my sense of responsibility, maybe even surprised.

  Clearing her throat,she continued projecting her voice. " My Elder would have you all continue making your way to our homeland. Point your friends in the path straight ahead and order them to continue walking. You shall divert left and keep approaching at an angle. They should be recovered by a side force waiting in the shallows of the forest by morning if they keep pace for the night. "

  I nodded at the idea and replied. " And me? I'm assuming I'm just a distraction to pull them towards me, but what do i do when they catch up to me? I can sense magic, but i am still useless when it comes to controlling it. "

  Arisa reply rung loudly in my head. " You will need a crash course on magic as you move. Apparently, you will be a quick learner. Your survival depends on it. Normally it takes years to condense and project mana, but you should have a tool on your person that will help cut out some of the work. Am i correct? "

  The ring on my finger glowed in the evening light, once again giving a brilliant glow. I held it up to my eyes and studied it for the 1st time that day. It was even more radiant than before, seemingly because of the magic it had been continuously condensing inside.

  " Yeah, I've got my training wheels right here. " I replied with a hint of a smile. Grandpa really was looking out for me still.

  " I'm unsure what training wheels refers to, but I'll take that as confirmation. Now, relay this information and respond when you are moving again. You'll need to be quick to divert their attention. Hurry. "

  Stopping in my tracks again, i spun around and addressed the two of them with a small smile.

  "Kai, Katherine. I have some good and bad news to share. First, the good news. By tomorrow afternoon, you'll both be safe and out of the woods if you keep heading this direction. You'll be received by a group of Elven soldiers by the edge of the woods and taken in for safety." I said with a nod to them.

  Katherine's eyes lit up at that, and she gave Kai a big smile squeezing his hand tight. "You hear that babe? We're gonna be okay! Plus, elves?? That's so cool! Maybe they can fix my ankle."

  Kai on the other hand was staring at me intensely, squeezing her hand back in reflex. "Why did you say 'You guys' like you're not coming with us? What's the bad news Max?"

  His response made me laugh for some reason, maybe because of how aware he was, or maybe because i was coping with the seriousness of the conversation. He eyes narrowed at that while Katherine stayed quiet flicking her gaze between the two of us and chewing her bottom lip. It was probably better that way. I understood her not wanting to get in the middle of the situation.

  "Man, you were always smarter than me but damn you catch on quick." I replied, wiping a tear out of my eye and grinning at him.

  He raised his voice and pushed a finger in my face almost threatening me. "What the hell is so funny, huh?! What are you planning?!"

  I raised my hands in defense and backed away a bit. "Calm down, I'll explain. It's a long story but we don't have much time."

  He settled down a bit, but glared at me all the same waiting for me to finish. Katherine put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it silently in support.

  "So, the danger we're in hunts using mana detection. Basically, since you two don't have any access to mana they can't find you." I watched their expressions shift to understanding as they absorbed my words.

  "Seems like you get it. They're hunting us using me as the compass. We need to split up, I'm going to divert their attention and lead them away so you guys can get out safely." I finished speaking and waited for their replies.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Kai grit his teeth and stepped forward. "So you expect me to abandon you in this and whimper my ass to safety? Screw that and screw you! I'm not going to let you die all alone!"

  His girlfriend held his hand in hers and looked down in shame before speaking up. "But... If there's a chance we can make it out alive, isn't it better that some of us make it out? I can't fight or run with my ankle like this. It would be a death sentence to stay, and I can't make it out of this forest with out help."

  He spun around at her, anger seeping into his voice and retorted sharply. "So you're suggesting we send him to die alone instead? This choice sucks, and i refuse to send one of you to die alone. There's got to be something we can do!"

  She shrunk under his gaze and dropped his hand, hugging herself instead. I took that as a queue and jumped in to defend her.

  "She's right Kai. We both agreed, she's your first priority when it comes to safety. You're responsibility. It's my fault that we're in this position in the first place." He hesitated at that and stared at the ground hard.

  "Besides, it's not like I'm planning to roll over and die. We have an idea on how to make sure we all survive. This is just the best way to do that."

  His head perked up at that and he sighed pinching his nose. "You promise you'll be alright?"

  I grinned at him wider before bumping my chest with my fist. "Come on dude, you think you'll get rid of me that easily? You know I'm way too stubborn for that."

  He licked his lips at that before turning to face me fully and wrapping his girlfriend in a hug. His expression told me he reluctantly accepted the outcome of the conversation, regardless of how much he hated it. Raising his fist to me he spoke again.

  "You're damn right you are. If you die, i swear I'll come hunt your spirit down and piss on your grave."

  I smirked at that and bumped his fist back with mine. "Deal."

  He smiled wearily back before nodding into the woods. "Go. Just please come back safe. We'll be waiting for you."

  Katherine nodded with his words and spoke softly. "Thank you, Max. Come back soon."

  With a final glance, i turned and began running into the woods heading into uncertainty. It was tough leaving them behind, but the last thing i could live with was being a danger to them again. As i settled into a comfortable pace i cleared my emotions as best as i could and tried to work on logic alone. This was the best course of action, now I just had to make it work.

  "It's me, I'm on my way." I visualized the message and sent it, reaching for the familiar sensation of Arisa.

  She spoke back with haste. " Good, i was beginning to wonder if you backed down on those big words. Now, based on your mana movements, you're making pretty good time. You must be in shape, that will increase your odds of survival a bit."

  "Well, i did a lot of parkour and rock climbing back where i come from." I let the text send and follow it up with flashes of memories.

  "So it would seem, I've never heard of these activities but they seem to have trained your body well." She said, clearly studying the glimpses of information i gave her.

  I nodded to myself dodging a few trees and jumping over a branch. "Yeah, plus the magic in the air has really increased my stamina. I feel like i could run for miles."

  "Oh? This is unexpected. Magic usually doesn't amplify physical abilities unless you are born with a physical enhancement mana core. From what i understand, you should be Mage of some sort based on your heritage."

  I ducked under a tree branch and glanced at the sky, it was slowly beginning to turn a twinge of red. I grimaced to myself and picked up the pace just a bit.

  "So mana cores are assigned by heritage? How does that work?"

  She seemed to ponder my words before replying. "So we must begin from the basics of basics. Very well. Yes, your heritage and bloodline has the biggest impact on your mana core. Think of it as receiving the same hair color as your mother or father. They pass along their mana much in the same way."

  Nodding to myself again i confirmed my understanding. "Got it, genetics. Simple enough, DNA and all that. Regardless, you sounded surprised but not shocked at the fact that i could be a knight or warrior. I'm assuming it's uncommon but possible to have a different core than your bloodline?"

  " Precisely. There are cases of children inheriting different cores than expected. Mages can rarely give birth to warriors, or vice versa. That being said, mana core types are the only thing inherited. What kind of mage or physical magic you may use varies. A water mage can give birth to a fire mage or just as likely a wind one."

  I hummed to myself as i surveyed my environment. The forest was beginning to open up slightly, but was still dense. The ground was more wet, and the trees started to vary more to different heights and shapes. Even colors I've never seen before like purple bark and blue leaves began to show up. It was breathtaking, but i didn't have the luxury to slow down and admire.

  " What are the basic kinds of Mages? Are their standard ones and rarer ones, or are they all just as common?" I thought as I jumped over a fallen log.

  She seemed to be happy at my interest and gave an excited response. " There are around 8 standard classes of magic. 2 are rarer, but still fairly common. They consist of Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Summoner, Physical enhancements, and the rarer classifications; Necromancer and Holy."

  The class system was surprisingly expected, almost similar to a standard RPG or DnD layout. Thanks to that, i was able to easily move on to the next bit of information she gave me.

  " There's also rarer cores, specialized in all sorts of magic that we only see one in a few hundred or hundred thousands. They can be anything and everything, usually underwhelming but sometimes incredibly powerful. For example, All rounders which are capable of using all standard core class magic at the cost of being adept in any one; Alchemists capable of converting stones to diamonds; or Healers capable of fixing even deadly wounds."

  I watched the sun dip further behind the far treeline before asking another question. "Then, what about you? I'm assuming you must be a special core. None of those explain your abilities."

  With a tone of arrogance and self praise she shot back. "So even you can understand my unique abilities and worth. Yes, i am a sensory type core. One in every 500,000 will be lucky to have my abilities but i am exceptional even among those. I am capable of reaching over two kingdoms away with my sensory powers, and able to touch and interact with minds like we have been. Truly, i am gifted and a proud asset to our Kingdom."

  Her songs of praise rattled loudly in my head, and i barely managed to suppress thoughts that would get me in trouble with her had she saw them. I grimaced as her voice continued to hum loudly in my head with pride.

  "Impressive indeed... That aside, you said you were going to give me a crash course on mana using right? It's getting pretty late. I need to know what I'm doing here and how I'm going to survive this."

  Her pride quickly rolled off and she took a serious tone again realizing she'd gone off course.

  " You're right Child, forgive me. Since you're seemingly a physical enhancement type, i shall explain the basics for you. Magic is breathed in through your lungs and absorbed into your blood stream, eventually meeting and condensing in a chosen part of your body. Everyone has a different mana core placement and it typically happens unconsciously at a young age." She began.

  " There are more common places though, such as the stomach or heart. As far as we know though, there's no benefit to where your core stabilizes. It's just down to instinct. You will have to choose where your core stabilizes when you get there, but for now your 'Training Wheels' will act as your mana core."

  Her explanation seemed simple enough, and I nodded along with her explanation. " Okay. Simple enough, now how do i USE magic?"

  The sun was fully behind the hills at this point, and i had slowed down to a fast walk by now. I already made good distance between myself and my friends, no point in wearing myself down too quickly. As our conversation was going my ears had been pricked and taking in as much information as they could. So far it was quiet, but i knew soon enough that would change.

  She left me hanging for a while too long, making me reach out in concern.

  "Arisa? Are you there?"

  Another moment of silence before she finally broke it.

  "Child, they are close. Closer than i anticipated. You must have been leaking more mana than i first calculated. Listen closely, your survival depends on how well you can follow my directions. Can you trust in my words?" She said, her voice rushed and unstable.

  I tensed at that and strained my ears, forcing myself to take in everything. Faintly in the distance i barely picked up a thundering noise. Something was charging towards me fast, a lot of somethings.

  I picked up speed again, this time into a full sprint. They were coming from my right and i need to head directly to the left of them. We were going to cross paths eventually, but if I didn't hurry they'd cut me off from my destination.

  "Yes! Yes i trust you! Please Arisa, what do i do! I can hear them!" I said frantically back towards her.

  She wasted no time and replied quickly "Good, you'll make it through this Child. Mana is pushed through the skin constantly and dissolved into the atmosphere. Using and redirecting that flow of is how we cast spells. The more you push and flow mana from your core through your skin, the more powerful your spells become. It's a game of learning how to condense and utilize your pool effectively without expending yourself."

  I grunted in response but kept my focus on running. The noises from my right drew closer, and i could hear feet slamming into the ground. Their breathe came out loud and combined into a slurry of messy wet noises. It sounded alien and horrible, like dying cows mixed with howling wolves that were injured or malformed. Arisa continued quickly with her explanation.

  "You're a physical type mana core, unconsciously you've been augmenting yourself this whole time hence why your stamina has improved so dramatically. You need to focus on controlling that mana around your body and flowing it around your legs instead. Imagine liquid condensing on the outside of a cold glass. Focus on condensing it around your lower half. Amplify that mana to increase your speed. Run Child."

  The noises were about 50 feet away now, shadows moving through the trees and hunting my scent. I chanced a glance at them, seeing huge husking shadows lurking closer and closer with every step. Their noises becoming more grotesque, excited at finally landing eyes on their prey. I couldn't make out full details, but i guessed their were at least 15 of them on my trail at a conservative guess.

  I whipped my head frontwards and willed my legs to move faster. My heart raced in my chest not from exhaustion, but from fear of the hunt. I took a deep breath and steadied myself before closing my eyes for a moment. In my head, Arisa's voice rang out to me again.

  "Focus. You can do this. Feel the flow of mana from your body." Her voice guided me, and i imagined the mana leaking off my body, glowing and moving like a river. "Good Child, very good. Now focus that flow, guide it towards what you want it to do."

  I opened my eyes again and imagined the river flowing down to my legs and circling them like armor. As the thought crossed my mind, my legs felt lighter and my feet seemed to emit light slightly. I grinned to myself, wiping the sweat on my brow and leaned forward pushing myself to move faster. The ring on my finger glew brighter and i could feel it feeding my new found flow of mana.

  "I'm doing it Arisa! I'm doing it!" I yelled back towards her, a mix of excitement and adrenaline coursing through me. Checking behind me again, my heart flipped as i saw they were right behind me. I was barely holding pace above the them, they were maybe 12 feet behind me. As i got a better look at them, only one thought crossed my mind.

  Creatures like this should never exist in any world.