The woods were on fire and it was all Todor's fault. He smiled nervously as the roar of the explosion assaulted his ears. A moment later he turned away from the developing inferno shielding his face from the wind buffeting him. His hair spread around his head like a peacocks tail before the shockwave subsided.

The modification he performed on the railgun worked splendidly. From three shots to whooping seven, before the Fire Perl embedded in its casing recharged the battery. The orb itself could recharge the battery four times before magic inside would be used up. Now with the knowledge of his True Name in his mind, he could sense the mana-ether vortex inside the magical artifact and more importantly, feel the energy rage across the ruined trees.

He stood alone in the meadow few kilometers from the Moriganhold. Not wanting to wake up Cass he grabbed a bus to the outskirts of the city then took a hike for a few hours until he found this secluded place. There he decided he would test his modified weapon. What do you think of this Ezezu? He asked the ghostly presence in his mind. From the girl, he got the impression of an impressed nod. Their bond was getting stronger since now he could feel not just emotions, but abstract thoughts, visualization of body language, and not to mention real words.

You should practice your raw mana manifestation with that fire, Ezezu said in his mind. Todor made a grimace at the suggestion. He felt mana being metabolized and stored in an invisible bag that he could just reach out for with his awareness. But the speed at which the bag was filling was mind-numbingly slow. It was a barest of trickles in comparison to the vastness of the container he could feel with his mind.

I am not sure I should waste any mana, Miss Book. Regain is so slow I feel like it will take months to have enough to practice anything, he responded mildly irritated by the entire affair. He managed to learn his True Name, he could cast magic now, but something else stopped him from achieving his full potential.

I feel your frustration and anger, but don't let things that you can't change right now get to you, Ezezu said in a calming voice, her tone like a balm echoing in his skull.

Todor sucked a mouthful of air, puffed his cheeks, and slowly exhaled it all out. I feel like I got a brand new car but have just enough gas to turn the engine on for half a minute. That leaves me at the curb, not going anywhere, he complained as he kicked the rock under his feet. The smell of burning wood was getting stronger, it's pungent aroma attacking his nose as if in revenge for his wanton slaughter of innocent vegetation earlier.

You were smart to prepare these new human-made weapons. They look like magic even though the only spell I can sense is embedded slaver gem you put inside of it, Ezezu's thought reached him. You opened only the first gate, it's normal your mana production will be low. But look at your kin, your brethren lost the ability to sense the flow of mana at all.

Todor had to agree she was right. He made a huge leap forward into gaining the power to protect himself, people he cared for, and the entire city.

The large tree trunk fell, consumed by the angry fire. The crackle of the blaze intensified and Todor stepped back from the blaze. I really need to stop that from spreading. Any ideas Ezezu? His grip on the railgun increased as the heat warmed his face. The smooth carbon-fiber frame of the weapon was cold to the touch in contrast. Todor felt the vortex of spinning mana-ether reaction of the Fire Pearl he installed last night making the hairs on his arm dance up and down slightly. It was a reassuring thing to have at hand just useless against the fire right now. Or is it? He wondered looking at the heavy weapon in his hands.

I know of ice spell that can freeze everything, killing the blaze. But I don't think you are ready for that yet, Ezezu informed him a second later. A vague image of the page with a spell written on it flashed in his mind. Todor shook his head and then blinked few times to summon UI interface on his glasses.

He searched for a link between his coat systems and his railgun. After a few seconds of browsing through the menus and listening to the crackle of ever approaching fire, Todor nodded firmly. He turned and started running away from the furnace caused by his initial test shot from the railgun.

You are going to let the fire spread? Ezezu inquired, there was no judgment in her tone, just curiosity. Todor ignored her for now, starting the climb back up to the road, the deadly weapon slung over his shoulder, dangling and hitting his back with every meter he gained. Finally, he dragged himself over the edge and plopped on the hot asphalt of the road. He let his body catch a few breaths before he got up on his feet and turned towards the developing forest fire.

I discovered I can change the intensity and power of the railgun. Even change the mass of the projectile, he tried to explain to Ezezu. But all he got from her was confusion and irritation at not understanding what he was saying. I guess I'll just show you, he added as he took aim with the weapon.

His finger twitched at the trigger in hesitation. He was worried that the system calculated incorrectly, just a small mistake could potentially blow himself up together with a chunk of this hill. He took a deep breath and fired. The capacitors whined for a split second, discharging their stored electricity in one go, ejecting the projectile at an insane speed. Just a split second later blossoming sphere of the explosion enveloped the blaze. His high tech glasses dimmed to protect his eyes from the flash. The report of the conflagration pierced Todor's ears followed by a shock wave that almost swept him off his feet.

Todor glared at the place where just a second ago the fire was trying to consume the greenery. The crater the size of the average truck was dominating the area below the road and quite prominently without an ember in sight. The hole gaped at Todor as he fidgeted uncomfortably. He did all that just because he was curious if could do it, the thought chilled him as the shiver run down his spine.

You killed the fire by smiting it with overwhelming force. But how? Wouldn't an explosion like that just create more fire? Ezezu's childlike wonder made Todor chuckle.

"The blast knocks the flames off the wood, and at that moment it loses its fuel source. Thus it is extinguished in one sweep. All though in this case I just destroyed fuel source altogether," Todor explained out load hafting the railgun on his shoulder. "Time to go. I can say the test was a success."

When he got home the sun was at its zenith. His stomach growled in protest as he entered the cool room where Cassandra was still snoring. He smiled dropping the heavy object on the table. I can clearly say that railgun paired with my coat can protect us until I manage to flex my metaphysical magical muscles, he concluded moving to the kitchen where he opened his potion stash. And this can tip the scale when a need arises as well, he added in his mind moving with his finger over the bottles and saran wrap balloons he prepared. He nicknamed them power pills and made sure he had few filled with combat potion on himself at all times.

You didn't examen your new sword, fool. Why? Ezezu asked him out of the blue. Todor wasn't sure why he didn't check the sword beyond the cursory look. He made a sandwich and chewed on it as he slowly went to retrieve the blade. What is there to see, Miss Book? He asked her in his mind as he walked back to the kitchen blade in hand. He pulled the sword out of the scabbard with his right hand, as he grabbed food in his left. It's a well-made blade, balanced and durable, nothing fancy, he concluded.

Touch it with your new sight, Ezezu suggested. Todor snorted, biting his inner cheek in thought. He shrugged and let the tentacles of his mage awareness crawl over the metal. At first glance, he sensed nothing, just cold steel. Then a weak thrumming came from the blade. He picked up the sword from the counter, holding it with one hand in front of himself wondering what is happening. Try sending a bit of mana into it, Ezezu prompted him. Todor's mouth puckered at that but he did as she proposed. Just a smidgen of mana flowed from his palm into the handle and the blade absorbed it hungrily. At that moment Todor could feel entire weapon as if he had it under the microscope. From the tip to the pummel, every millimeter was an extension of his arm.

"Wow," He murmured while taking a few practice swings. The blade trailed faint afterimage of red lighting in its wake. I think you can even reshape it however you want if you feed it enough mana, that halfbreed knows his job, Ezezu's informed him. Todor's eye widened as he realized he could feel Ezezu's awareness checking the blade as well. Now, this is interesting I could even use it on my own. Part of the blade is in another realm. My realm. Todor had to admit that could come in handy.

"Whatcha doin', hon?" Cassandra asked from the door. She yawned and her eyes locked on Todor. "Playing with your toys from early morning?"

"You could say that," he replied with a smile. She gave him a pack on the lips before opening the fridge.

"Tomorrow is a big day. You feeling ready?" She asked cutting a thick slice of cheese.

"Last night I manage to awake my mana furnace," he said flatly. Cassandra's knife stopped halfway to her next victim, a slab of ham.

"You are shitting me? And you just casually mention that like its no big deal."

Todor shrugged putting the sword back in its scabbard.

"It's still not very helpful. My mana regeneration is so pitiful I can't even start practicing with it."

"Oh, sure, feel sorry for yourself because you can't burn down cities with your godly power right away," Cassandra mocked him. "If you think you been hunted before, wait until Anadori and Morg communities hear about that. They were scared of human mages back in the day," she slapped cheese and ham between two slices of bread and took a bite. "There were these twelve mages that were as powerful as Elder Shamans or High Ethiarchs. Anadori these days think they are the cause for the Sundering."

"They did," he summoned Ezezu, "No Terror, the guy who wrote this book was one of them."

Cassandra's eyes went wide.

"So your maharoon has knowledge from most feared human sorcerer in the history of this world," she finally concluded. "And you are worried that your atrophied magic muscles are not strong enough from the start?"

"I am worried. I must not only stay alive. I accepted the responsibility of protecting this city. Midnight Breeze is up to something, I know it. Why did he sponsor a jam factory of all things?"

Cassandra slowly put down her sandwich and then stabbed it with a knife. She rushed Todor trapping him a bone-crushing hug. Her warm breath tickling Todors ear.

"You fought war golems, slaughtered entire squads of trained cult assassins and, I must stress this, you are bedding a Morg Warchief whose respect you earned. That last one is a huge deal, you know," she giggled and hugged him tighter. "You will find some clever way to save everyone, I am sure," she assured him before returning to her breakfast.

"What did I say about horn tooting?" Todor asked smiling unable to stop the blushing in his cheeks.

"That I should do it every chance I get? And you are getting my shade of red, baby," She retorted with a grin.

They both chuckled,as they continued to devour food.