Aiden led Nathanielle to his dormitory, a small but cosy room with a bunk bed, a desk, and a wardrobe. Aiden helped Nathanielle unpack his bags and get settled in, giving him a quick tour of the dormitory and the surrounding area.

As they finished setting up Nathanielle’ s belongings, Aiden knelt down to his son's height and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You're going to do great here, Nathanielle," he said, his voice soft and reassuring. "You're a brave boy, and I'm so proud of you."

Nathanielle felt a lump form in his throat as he looked up at his father, struggling to hold back tears. He knew he had to be strong, but the thought of being alone in a new place was overwhelming.

Aiden seemed to sense his son's anxiety, as he pulled Nathanielle into a warm embrace. "I'll miss you too, Nathanielle" he whispered. "But I'll be back to visit you soon. And until then, just remember that I love you very much."

Nathanielle nodded, feeling a little more at ease with his father's words. As Aiden stood up to leave, Nathanielle watched him go, feeling a mixture of sadness and excitement. He was ready to embark on this new journey, to explore the world of magic and fantasy that lay ahead of him. But he also knew that he would never forget his home, or the love of his family.

Nathanielle sat on the bed, his legs swinging back and forth as he gazed up at the ceiling. He felt a sense of emptiness inside him, with no one else in the room to talk to. The sounds of children playing outside filled the room, reminding him of the life he had left behind.

He stood up, stretching his legs and looked out of the window, the sun was setting and the sky was painted with hues of orange and pink. It was beautiful, but Nathanielle could not help but feel a little homesick.

But then he remembered the reason he was here: to study and make his parents proud. He knew he could not let them down, and that he had to make the most of this opportunity.

With newfound determination, Nathanielle decided to head to the library, to start his studies on his very first day. He grabbed his bag, checking that he had all his books and headed out of the room.

As he walked through the corridors of the academy, Nathanielle marvelled at the beautiful architecture and intricate details of the building. He could hear the faint sounds of music and laughter coming from the common room, but he knew he had to stay focused.

Nathanielle entered the library and looked around in awe at the rows of shelves filled with books. After reaching the tall wooden desk he called out for the librarian, "Excuse me, sir!" The librarian, a portly old man with a full white beard and twinkling blue eyes, was startled by the sudden sound. He stood up from behind his tall wooden desk, towering over Nathanielle. "Oh my, I didn't see you there, young man! What can I do for you?"

"I'm a new student at the academy, and I was hoping to borrow some books to read." He said timidly.

Mr Wilkins , the librarian looked up from his desk and peered over his glasses at Nathanielle. "I'm sorry, young man, but the library is not yet open for new students. We require an identification card for borrowing privileges," he said kindly.

Nathanielle’ s face fell, and he looked disappointed. "But I really want to read," he said quietly. "Is there any way I could borrow some books, just for today?"

Mr. Wilkins hesitated for a moment, looking at Nathanielle thoughtfully. He could see the determination in the young boy's eyes and could tell how much reading meant to him. "Well, I suppose I could make an exception for you, but do not tell anyone “He finally said with a smile.

Nathanielle’ s face lit up, and he grinned widely. "Thank you so much, sir!" he exclaimed.

Mr. Wilkins chuckled. "Don't thank me just yet, young man," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "You still have to find some books to read. Come follow me"

As Nathanielle followed Mr. Wilkins through the aisles of the library, his eyes widened with excitement as he saw rows upon rows of books. "Wow, there are so many books here," he said, marvelling at the sight.

"Yes, indeed," Mr. Wilkins replied with a chuckle. "And this section is just for kids like you who love stories of heroes and dragons." He gestured towards a shelf lined with books featuring knights, dragons, and magical creatures.

The old man led Nathanielle to the kids' section of the library, where rows of books about dragons and heroes lined the shelves. "Here you are, Nathanielle," he said, gesturing towards the books. "I think you'll enjoy these."

Nathanielle took a quick glance at the books and wrinkled his nose in disdain. "These are too childish for me," he said, shaking his head. "Don't you have anything more advanced?"

Mr. Wilkins was taken aback by Nathanielle’ s blunt honesty, but he decided to humour the boy. "Well, what kind of books do you like, Nathanielle?" he asked, curious.

Nathanielle pondered for a moment before remembering the magic he had seen on the streets. "Do you have anything on magic?" he asked eagerly.

Mr. Wilkins raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Magic, huh? Well, those books require a good understanding of mathematics, you know," he said with a chuckle.

Nathanielle did not hesitate. "I already know algebra and 3-dimensional geometry!" he exclaimed proudly.

Mr. Wilkins was astonished. "Really? For someone your age, that is quite impressive," he said, still not quite believing Nathanielle’ s claim.

Undeterred, Nathanielle insisted on finding a book on magic. "Please, sir. I really want to read about it," he pleaded.

Mr. Wilkins sighed, knowing that Nathanielle would not give up easily. "Alright, alright. Follow me," he said, leading the boy to the advanced section where older kids, around 13-14 years old, were typically found.

After perusing through several shelves, Mr. Wilkins finally found a book that he deemed suitable for Nathanielle. "Here you are, Nathanielle. The Fundamentals of Mana: A Beginner's Guide" he said, handing over the thin book.

Nathanielle’ s face lit up with excitement as he clutched the book to his chest. "Thank you so much, sir! I cannot wait to read it," he said gratefully.

Mr. Wilkins could not help but smile at Nathanielle’ s enthusiasm. "It's my pleasure, Nathanielle. Just remember to take good care of the book, and return it when you are done," he said kindly.

Nathanielle nodded eagerly, already lost in the world of magic within the pages of the book. He could not wait to learn more about mana and how it worked in the world. As he began reading, he quickly became absorbed in the text, his eyes darting across the pages.

Time flew by, and Nathanielle did not even realize how long he had been reading until he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up to see the librarian standing over him, a stern expression on his face.

"Excuse me, young man," he said. "We'll be closing soon. You'll have to leave now."

Nathanielle blinked, startled. He had been so immersed in the book that he had not even noticed the time passing. With a smile, he closed the book and stretched his arms.

"Thank you," he said to the librarian. "This was a great read. Can I check out another book to take back to my room?"

The Old Man hesitated, eyeing Nathanielle sceptically. "Did you really finish that book already?" he asked.

Nathanielle nodded all cocky. "Yes, I did. You can ask me anything you want to."

Hearing that the old man got al riled up , if he truly did finish the book , Nathanielle will be someone to look out for after all. He clasped his hands and sat down on a nearby chair and then leaned forward. "Tell me what is Mana?"

Without wasting a second Nathanielle answered "Mana is nothing but a form of energy"

Knowing that the question was too simple even for a seven-year-old Wilkins did not flinch. Instead, he sharpened his gaze and asked  " Well, Nathanielle, you certainly seem to have a good grasp of the fundamentals of mana. But tell me, where does mana come from? "

Nathanielle ready for this question answered “Mana comes from celestial bodies like the moons, stars, and the sun. When someone forms a contract with a celestial body, they can access its mana and use it to perform magic.”

The Old Man glared at Nathanielle , looking for something more from him. Noticing which Nathanielle quickly corrected himself “Oh ! And Mana also exists in the surroundings itself, it just exists everywhere.”

The corrected reply brought a smile to Mr Wilkins’s face “Earlier you talked about a Contract , what exactly is the contract you talked about ?”

Nathanielle looked at the Old Man with confused eyes and answered “A Contract is nothing but a written agreement , it can be anything, it doesn’t have to necessarily deal with celestial objects in general”

The Old Man smiled , “You got me , perhaps I should formulate my question better. Can you tell me how a mage forms a contract with a celestial body to receive mana?

Nathanielle replied “A mage forms a contract with a celestial body by creating a link through spiritual threads that travel faster than light. These threads are guided by the celestial body and the strength of the link depends on the individual mage. Once the contract is formed, the mage can receive mana from the celestial body.”

“Very good.” The Librarian exclaimed “And , what happens if the spiritual thread breaks while traveling through space?” He asked excitedly.

“If the spiritual thread breaks, the individual's spiritual body may become lost in space and someone else may try to connect with someone else's physical body to gain control. The person may also die if the thread connecting their spiritual body to their physical body breaks.” Nathanielle replied.

“Interesting. And what if someone does not want to form a contract with a celestial body?” Mr Wilkins asked , fixing the posture of his glasses yet again.

“They can still use mana from the surrounding environment. Mages who have not formed a contract with a celestial body can extract mana from places where the concentration of mana is high, called mana veins. These places are controlled by powerful families and require deals to access.” Nathanielle replied enthusiastically.

“Ah, I see. And can anyone use mana, or is it only for mages?” The Old man asked.

“Anyone can use mana, but it requires training and practice. Swords masters, for example, can imbue their swords with mana to increase their strength and impact. And even non-magical professions can use mana as a form of energy.” Nathanielle replied swinging his legs all excitedly.

“That's correct. Can you tell me about the difference between mythical proxies and mythical beasts?” The Old Man asked. The More he asked the more excited he got.

“Mythical proxies are entities that act as intermediaries between celestial bodies and humans, and they do not have any restrictions on breeding. Mythical beasts, on the other hand, are strong individual beasts that have the blood of celestial proxies and can breed with other organisms. They may have the ability to polymorph into humanoid beings.” Nathanielle answered.

“Impressive” Saying that the Old Man stood up and began looking into the shelves for another book. “You said you want something to read in the dorm, right. Here you go” Saying that he handed out Nathanielle another book , the title of which read “Mana: Affinity , Storage and Manipulation”. After getting the book , Nathanielle ran towards the exit all giddy.

But he was stopped in his track by the old man. “One Last Question , Young Man. What is your name?”

“Nathanielle” he answered before disappearing amid all other students , holding the book close to his chest.