“Nox, I was able to rotate my mana a little bit”

  “Not bad being able to sense it after less than a day, sometimes it takes weeks just for that. Normally you would now start excavating your mana channels which would help you practice controlling it at the same time but since yours are already open you'll have to take it slow until you can control it right” Nox says while nodding his head.

  “Huh, Why slowly? I thought the goal was to rotate it faster”

  “Do you think just because I opened your mana channels you can just cultivate without knowing how? Send your mana in the wrong direction and, well… imagine if your blood started flowing sideways, or even worse, backwards. The faster the mana is going the more pressure would build up and.. “

  “Kaboom…”

  “yup , so dont go turning yourself into a firework alright, or i die with you.” Nox says nervously

  I notice there seems to be something else he hasn't told me.

  “What is it your hiding”

  “Ah? Hiding? Uh , well…you see, I don't know any human cultivation techniques you see, and you need to open the mana channels in a certain way for each cultivation technique…”

  “Wait, don't tell me you just randomly opened my mana channels and now you're not sure if I'll even be able to cultivate my mana!”

  “What? no! But the thing is, I opened them in the way we dragons do and I'm not sure if your human body can handle the shock…”

  Nox thinks to himself ‘Damnit, what if hes resentful and refuses to make me a new body’

  “Shock? Is this technique stronger?”

  “Naturally it's stronger!” feeling like he was thrown a life line Nox goes on to explain

  “We dragons have much larger pools of mana because of this technique, to put it in simple terms, humans refine their mana by rotating it along one path and sharpening it like a blade whereas we dragons rotate it along 4 paths at once and forging it like a block of steel, removing the impurities”

  “If it gives you larger mana pools why don't more humans use your method? Is it some secret you dont let outsiders have?”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Not exactly, I mean it's not like we would just give it out to anyone but the biggest reason is simply that most human bodies would explode. The way we cultivate is rotating the mana in 4 directions then back to the center, where they collide like a hammer on an anvil which is fine for us dragons because we are born with stronger bodies but you humans… well you just arent gifted with that”

  Grabbing my head with my hands i let out a frustrated sigh

  “Why does everything seem to end with my body exploding…”

  Nox anxiously waves his arms “But it's not hopeless! It also refines your body because of the stress so eventually you will acclimate to it, you'll just have to start slow… Very slow”

  Letting out another sigh, I look up and see the moon is finally high in the sky, putting aside my frustration I stand up and look to the house with only candlelight illuminating the second floor.

  “Its time”

  I jump over to the roof next door then across the road onto victers roof, quietly making my way over to the side and down onto a windowsill, holding onto the top of the windowsill i jump back swinging my legs before sending them straight into the window and bursting into the bedroom

  “You bastard, you killed my father!” I said angrily to the lump under the cushions which let out a high pitched squeal. I grab a larger piece of glass from the ground and walk over to the bed.

  “Are you hiding like a coward!” I say as I rip off the cushion only to find a middle aged woman.

  “Please, please don't kill me, I'll give you whatever you want!” she says while trembling. I lower the piece of glass and ask coldly

  “Where is he!”

  “You mean Varen? I don't know! I don't know! I swear, he left last night with his axe and hasn't come back! You must believe me!”

  “He ran away!? Damnit!” I squeeze the glass shard, breaking it into pieces that tear up my palm then dart for the window and grapple my way up.

  Once im back on the roof i start running along the rooftops to the gate and i hear Nox

  “You're just going to believe her?”

  “She wasn't lying, I can tell that much, he must have been planning this. He can't have gone far, the next city over at most. There's no way he would have been able to avoid the guards in the city all day and no one is stupid enough to harbor a murderer. So if he isn't hiding at home he has to have left the city, Ill catch up and then ill kill him”

  This time I was too worked up to notice the contemplative look on Nox’s face as I approached the gate. Jumping down from the roofs I run across the open courtyard right past the guards, I don't even stop and get a re-entry medal from the guards and they could care less what I do. They'll be more than happy if i cant re-enter the city.

  “Hmph, i hope he finally dies out there, or at the very least never comes back”

  I didn't know it at the time but this is the last time I'll be here for many years. Even though I grew up here I've never felt any love or care from anyone in the city other than my father and now that he is gone I no longer have any reason to stay here. Following the road i head to the neighboring city of Damren.