Memory of Mana

The sun was beginning to set on the horizon. The wandering voxibell packs up the remaining knick knacks that he had laid out from his mat. It was another slow sales day for Flax. He had hoped that perhaps one of his more wondrous looking scraps would pique someone’s interest but alas, he did not make much of a weight in his shard purse.

As he packs away his belongings, a curious letter was snagged in-between the mat. Flax picks up the fancy wax-sealed letter. The sigil must be of some high academy but Flax, the sweet country boy that he is, cares not for the sigil. Instead he wonders, who in the right mind would send him a fancy letter? Or perhaps, it was someone else’s that had simply fallen off their coats or capes or pockets or whatnot and had slipped itself onto the voxi’s selling mat. He considered not opening it but alas, his curiosity got the best of him and with a claw, he tore the wax away and unfurled the letter.

Fancy, cursive writing adorned the letter. The author of such a letter goes by the name Modeus and they have beckoned the intended letter reader to visit them once more for something important.

Flax scratches the back of his head. Well, this must be some real fancy guy to have been called up by this Modeus guy… or perhaps a hero of some sorts? Regardless, this issue seems to not be related to Flax in any sort of way… But curse his constant curious nature, this mysterious sender and his intriguing discovery clearly has gotten a snag on his mind.

Coco Puffs slithers out of one of the travelling bags, a compass in his mouth. Flax comes to pick it up as his loxdrin crawls up to his back and settles nicely on his shoulder. He huffs out in defeat. Looks like he’ll be out for another adventure. Curse his inquisitive mind and his total need to learn something new.

With a dusting off of the old compass, his items are all packed up neatly and together as he sets his caravan up. Flax hypes himself up, ready to find the ruins where a supposed Modeus is waiting for him.

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The journey to the ruins of Letan was an arduous one. While the main road was easily accessible and traversable with his moving caravan, as Flax began to come closer to the ruins, his caravan became more of a burden than a helpful mode of transport. The roads to the ruins were non-existent, with only dirt paths in dark forest areas.

He had to pick a spot in Vitrun and left his caravan parked in a quieter spot of the town, hoping no one would spot his little moving shop lest they try to ransack whatever goodies are placed in his mobile home.

Once he secured his caravan nicely, he set out to the forest, hoping that the path would lead him to the ruins easily.

It was not easy.

There were so many bugs, creepy crawlies that would make its home in webbed corners of the grassy patch or in tall dirt mounds carrying food for their storage. There were mysterious hootings and howlings filling the forest scenery. Flax ain’t a scaredy voxi to be frightened by just the general busyness of the forest but it did terrify him just a little bit that he had to travel through the forest alone. Not even the comfort of his loxdrin was enough to comfort him, as his little lizard buddy had retreated into his fluffy mane to keep himself safe.

As he trekked the forest area, he could sense an odd tingling sensation from inside of him. His mana being drawn, as if leading him to the ruins. He let himself follow the feeling. The dirt path starts to introduce him to old rocks that resembled ruins of buildings of old and not even a few steps further out, he was met with ancient pillars and ruined archways to the ruins of Letan.

An uneasy feeling washed over Flax. He thought that with such a fancy handwriting like the letter, he’d be met with some sort of escapade of sorts, not this looming feeling of dread and ruins. He wandered into the ruins, his loxdrin clung closer to his mane, barely peeking his head out. Flax could not see Modeus anywhere on the site itself, yet scattered around it were scrolls and glass bottles, signs that dictated that someone was in the ruins.

Leading deeper into it, the ruins parted itself with chambers of old. A trail of quills and bottles littered the halls, one that seemed more brand new than the dusty, brokens ones led to one of the chambers in the ruins. Flax didn’t dare open the door, as mana was spilling out of it like waves in a storm.

He peeked into the room but was overwhelmed by the sensations of mana clinging onto every being and thing that occupied its space in the chamber. It clinged onto the moss, the old books, and the rocky stones of the chamber’s floor. At the end of the room, just up the small flight of stairs, a grey voxibell stood in front of a podium.

Flax pushed the chamber’s doors open, the door creaking louder than he intended it to be. The unknown voxibell turns around, manic glee adorning his face.

“ Good, good, I see you made it here safel-” his words cut short as he met eye-to-eye with Flax. “Well, you’re certainly not the voxibell I meant to meet here today.” He walks up to Flax, “But no matter! You’d be a fine companion for my newest discovery here!”

Flax simply connected the two dots in his head that the writer of the letter was in fact standing in front of him, unbothered by the tainted mana that surrounded the room. The voxibell in question is definitely Modeus, he thinks, and the voxibell has grabbed his hand and dragged it towards the podium where a peculiar skull sits gracefully on top of it.

“As you’ve found me here, I shall assume you must’ve read my letter,” Flax tried to answer but was cut by Modeus continuing on his manic rant, “so understand that there was too much to be explained in one singular letter and that it is best understood through visual performance!”

Flax, flabbergasted by the voxibell in front of him, could not utter a single word. Instead, he was subjected to watch what would be the most shocking five minutes of his life. Modeus stood in front of the skull, eyes closed and focused on concentrating. His mana sigil glows, gently at first, and then brighter and brighter. A burst of light shoots out in a large radius, brightening up the room and blinding Flax. He covers his eyes, looking away to shield himself from the light. As quick as the light came to be, the darkness returns like a snap.

As Flax opens his eyes, he is met with a strange creature. In the spot where Modeus stood was a figure who wore the same outfit that Modeus wore, yet it stands on two legs and bare no fur at all, save for the tail that looked much larger in comparison.

The figure gives itself a onceover, twisting their body around to see itself in its glory. “Achivement!” It said, in a voice much like Modeus. It fumbles for its pen and paper, taking notes on his newest discovery. As the figure who-may-or-may-not-be Modeus busied itself  with its writings, Flax simply stood in utter shock, holding tightly on his poor, poor loxdrin.

What in the heavens above had he just witnessed? What is this being that stood in front of him?

Flax refused to believe that the figure was Modeus himself yet his antics, what he wore and how he sounded fits Modeus down to a T.

The figure turns to Flax, “I’ve done it!” He grabbed the skull of the podium and shoves it right to Flax’s face. “I have pried history that has been long held dormant that rests within this skull and attuned myself to its memory. With it, I have found history long forgotten!”

Using his front… paws? Modeus showed himself to Flax. “What you see is an ancient species that once roamed this land. The beings who created these ruins!”

He placed a paw onto himself, “I am still the Modeus you see, but my form has taken on the same form of these ancient species that once walked the Olden days of Kyvalore!”

Manic and excitement fills Modeus as he hands the skull over to Flax. “You too can be just like the ancient ones!” He grabbed Flax’s paws and held it in his.

“Please,” he begged, “Let me teach this rite to you.” He gripped the paws a little tighter, “Let me share the ancient history with you!”

Truth be told, Flax is absolutely terrified of the situation that he is currently in. He looks towards his loxdrin companion, who looks back at him shaking his head with absolute fear. Flax was never one to be great in schools, yet learning something new has always been a drive for him to push forward. He is terrified of the possibilities that this magic could do unto him and he sure does not want to meet his end so soon.

But curse his curious mind, his hunger for knowledge, his thirst for adventure. He wants to know so badly this ancient history, this magic that’s long gone. He wants to experience what had just transpired to Modeus.

Setting his fear aside, he steadied his breathing and looked Modeus straight in the eye.

“Teach me the rite.”