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Looking back, it was honestly surprising our parents even allowed us to go out on a little jungle adventure together. Naturally, I should have assumed they'd be watching us closely.
Even though the area was secured by the powerful barrier Nepheline and Shade set up, we were still in a wilderness teeming with beasts and monsters. This wasn't exactly a walk in a park.
At one point, I had wondered if this place might have something like the Adventurer Guilds my parents occasionally spoke about—places that paid people to hunt monsters or gather herbs—but I quickly remembered this was a self-sufficient tribe. They weren't connected to the human kingdoms. They didn't need coin for survival. It was all about community and harmony with the wild.
This particular patch of wilderness was on the tribe's northern side, near a small river. Aquarina held my hand tightly as she led me around confidently. Apparently, she'd been here before and knew the way well.
"Here! It's where the birdies come to sing!" she said, dragging me along excitedly.
We stepped into a dense part of the jungle. Enormous trees towered above us, their leafy canopies casting intricate shadows over the forest floor. The air was thick and humid, the scent of moss and fresh soil clinging to every breath.
Large stones jutted from the earth like ancient sentinels. They were old—very old. Covered in moss, lichen, and painted symbols, they lined what appeared to be a forgotten path. Something about this place felt… sacred.
"Aquarina, are you sure you want to go farther?" I asked.
"Yeah! It's just ahead—there!" she said with a bright grin, pointing toward a small clearing.
In the center of that sunlit clearing stood a large monolith, a rough-hewn stone standing over ten meters tall. Its surface was engraved with glowing runes and overlapping magic circles. I didn't need Naturia's connection to feel it—the entire stone pulsed with spiritual energy.
"This is the Spirit Stone!" Aquarina said proudly. "Spirits come here! Mama brings me when my head hurts… and it goes away when I'm here."
Her words made sense. Aquarina's innate ability to sense emotions and intentions in others was a powerful but heavy gift. It overwhelmed her in crowded places, where too many minds were buzzing with conflicting thoughts. Nepheline once told me that when Aquarina was younger, she'd often cry just from being surrounded by people.
This clearing, this Spirit Stone… it was a sanctuary. And it had become her favorite place to find peace.
She never came alone. But now, with me and our parents' familiars watching from afar, she was finally trusted enough to come here in someone else's company. Me.
I blinked. She was still holding my hand.
She hadn't let go once since we left the village.
After walking a small circle around the stone, Aquarina suddenly turned and hugged the monolith, resting her cheek against its warm surface.
"Touch it, Leon! It'll make you feel all light and floaty," she encouraged with a giggle.
"…Is it safe?"
It sounded suspiciously like some sort of natural energy drug, but curiosity got the better of me. With a deep breath, I reached out and pressed my hand against the stone's glowing surface.
FLASH!
"UAGH—!"
I fell straight on my backside. A rush of overwhelming energy surged into my body, a roaring current of spiritual essence that thundered through my veins like lightning. It was sudden and wild—too wild.
"Leon! Are you okay?" Aquarina asked, rushing to my side with worried eyes.
"Y-Yeah… I think. Just… surprised," I said, panting. "That was… a lot."
She tilted her head. "Really? I like it. Feels nice."
Right. Because you're a literal one-year-old born in this world, and I'm… not.
Still, she had a point. That energy—it wasn't malicious. It wasn't chaotic. It just felt… too much for a moment. If I could endure it…
I reached out again.
The pulse of the stone hit me once more—less violently this time. The spiritual essence flowed through me like a warm stream. It stirred something inside me. Something subtle. Something long-dormant.
My mana veins.
They were beginning to open.
From what I'd learned, mana veins are special conduits inside the body that help mages channel and manipulate mana. Most children didn't begin developing them until age ten.
But thanks to this Spirit Stone, mine had just burst open.
I could feel it. My body was changing, growing more attuned to magic. Not only that, but my connection to Naturia also seemed to deepen. Her presence stirred inside my soul, happily absorbing the ambient energy alongside me.
I pulled my hand back slowly.
"Not bad…" I muttered.
"Told you!" Aquarina said, puffing out her chest proudly.
I chuckled—then blinked as soft lights flickered into view.
Tiny spheres of light floated around the Spirit Stone like fireflies. Some shimmered with faint greens and golds, others with silvers and blues. They danced slowly, like they were drawn to the stone's energy.
Could they be… spirits?
"Chirp, chirp~"
A melody of birdsong echoed through the clearing. Several brilliantly feathered birds descended from the canopy—parrots, hawks, and even a few ravens. Each one glowed faintly, like they'd been drawn to the spiritual pulse of this place.
"They come when it's peaceful," Aquarina whispered. "They like it when the spirits sing."
She wasn't wrong. The air felt calmer now, even sacred.
I sat down on the grass beside her as she leaned against my shoulder.
For a moment, we said nothing. We simply watched the light and color dance around the stone.
In that space of serenity, I made a mental note: this Spirit Stone was no ordinary rock. It was a relic of the old world, perhaps a leftover from when spirits still roamed the lands freely. It held power—not just over the body, but the soul.
And with a world as dangerous as this one, I needed all the strength I could get.
Perhaps… this would be the first step in mastering the spiritual path.
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