Restart Again: Volume 1 by Adam Scott (pocket ebook reader TXT) 📕

day after a hard workout, but my years of practice won out in the end. With the mana now flowing, I channeled it up through my arms and down to the tips of my fingers. As I expected, it seemed to pool there, unwilling to move out of my body and into the cloth.

No giving up this time. Figure it out. I closed my eyes and calmed my breathing, slowing my thoughts to gain some clarity. I can channel mana through my sword to activate magical effects. I can’t channel mana through this pillow. What’s different? What’s causing the issue? I ran a hand along the scratchy wool, taking in all the bumps and grooves.

The sword was forged from manasteel; Metal, folded and forged while constantly channeling energy through it. I had been wielding it for so long that it felt like a natural extension of my arm. I know every crease of the leather grip, the position of every rune along the blade. When I’m moving mana through the metal, it’s as though I sense through every inch of the weapon itself. I paused for a moment. If I could know the material I’m trying to channel into as well as I know my sword, I bet I could do it!

I turned the material over a few times in my hands, observing it closely. Wool. Animal hair, spun and woven into yarn. A microcosm of interlacing strands with air filling the gaps left in between. Looking over at my sword, an idea struck me. I can channel mana through my sword. At a molecular level, the metal is pretty densely packed, with no gaps in between. Maybe, instead of just trying to push the mana through like I’m used to, I could...feel the fibers, and only move the energy through those?

I almost laughed at the thought. Boy, I’m really stretching with this one. I doubt this world has much knowledge of molecular theories though, so I should leverage every advantage I have...right? I settled back into a meditative stance and tried to clear my mind. With exaggerated care, I channeled my mana back down into my fingertips. Just take your time. Visualize the path the mana will take...like a river, flowing through me and into the woolen fibers.

Without any way to measure time, I couldn’t say how long I sat meditating against the back wall of my cell. It was a comforting exercise, consciously circulating my energy reserves across my hands as I slowly attempted to probe out into the wool. There was a new sensation tickling the tips of my fingers, which grew more pronounced as time passed: It was as if my mana was sending out exploratory tendrils, which gradually dissipated the farther they traveled.

Just as I was about to take a break, energy shocked my arms unexpectedly. I could feel the mana between my left and right hands, buzzing frantically as it began to build connections between the wool fibers. The tendrils of energy whipped out with an increasing fervor and I supplied the increasing mana cost eagerly. This is it! I’m doing it! My eyes snapped open, and I focused on the fire rune stained into the fabric. All at once the mana between my fingers channeled across the surface of the pillow, and the rune burst into crimson flames.

“Yes!” I jumped to my feet, still holding the burning wool. Cutting off the flow of mana, I dropped it to the floor before I burned my hands a second time. The flames went out immediately, but the surface of the wool where the rune had been was still smoldering. Lia bolted upright across the hall, startled by my sudden exclamation.

“Did you figure something out?” she asked, hopping off the cot to try and get a better view of my cell.

“I have indeed!” I proclaimed proudly. “It’s not much, and it certainly isn’t practical in an emergency, but progress is progress.” I picked up the pillow and tossed it over to my cot as I walked up to the bars of my cell. “Have you thought of anything you’ve heard about magic that might be helpful for me?”

She shrugged, frowning. “A couple things, I think, but most of it is just really common knowledge that everyone would know, or a couple of fairy tales.” Lia kicked at the ground, uncertainly. “I don’t think it’ll be able to help you at all.”

I smiled. “You’d be surprised at how much I don’t know. Why don’t you just tell me what you’re thinking, and I’ll stop you if anything sounds unfamiliar. Okay?”

Lia nodded. “Okay. So, I know that to use magic, people have to say some sort of spell, and then whichever Primeval Elemental they called on gives them the—”

“Woah woah woah, hold on,” I chuckled, stopping her mid-sentence. “A what elemental?”

Lia had a funny look on her face, as though she were simultaneously concerned for my mental wellbeing and trying not to laugh at it. “A Primeval Elemental? You know, from the Unity Church? Those Elementals?”

Oh, shit. Magic is a religion here. “I’m not familiar with the Unity Church. I take it that’s the main religion in Yoria?”

“You’re not familiar with…” She trailed off, clearly confused. “The Unity Religion is followed throughout the entire country of Kaldan. And in most of the surrounding ones, too.” We sat in silence for a while; I was waiting for her to ask the next logical question, and Lia was trying to find the words for it as she twiddled her thumbs anxiously.

“Where are you from, Lux?” The question finally came. “If you haven’t heard of Unity, you must be from...really far away.” Lia’s face was turned down towards the floor, but she was peering up at me sheepishly.

“I know it’s a dissatisfying answer, but could we keep it at ‘really far away’ for now?” I tried to give her a small, reassuring smile. “Once we get out of here, I’ll give you all the details you care to hear. But for