Chapter 3 - Soul Information

"By the goddess! How can you not form a single spell?" Anemus complained, folding her arms as he faced Athena's failure for the third time.

"W-well, I don't really know how to use magic... I've never done that."

"How not? You were once a powerful dark mage!" The outrage was almost tangible in Anemus' voice.

"I didn't really use magic, Hades was using it through the system." Athena said.

***

(Three hours earlier.)

"How is it, dear?"

"Athena promised to take Fotiá hunting!" Fotiá repeated with enthusiasm.

Athena looked at Anemus with a complicated expression.

"You promised it last month too and you didn't keep it." Anemus said.

"Fotiá, my sweetie, can we do this another time?"

As soon as Athena said this, Fotiá's face went from happy and full of enthusiasm to genuine sadness.

"B-but Athena promised..." Fotiá said as she began to tear up.

"N-don't cry..." Athena stood up and hugged Fotiá. "L-let's do it like this. I'll train a little and then I'll go hunting."

***

"I can't believe this..." Anemus said in disbelief. "Does that mean you don't really know anything about this world?"

"No. I know about wars between nations and monsters... Ah! I also know there are two gods at war." Athena said, proud of her knowledge.

Anemus looked at Athena as if all the respect she had recently acquired for her master melted into nothingness. "F-first let's see your status..." She said without any enthusiasm.

Upon hearing Anemus' suggestion, Athena's eyes sparkled and with the excitement of a novice, she said without hesitation. "Status!"

Anemus looked at the woman with her hands on her hips and her chest puffed out like a rooster, with an expression of surprise and embarrassment.

"??" Athena folded her arms, accentuating her breasts and cocked her head to the side in confusion and then looked at Anemus. "Anemus... it's not working."

"II'm afraid to ask, but…what didn't work?"

"The status."

"What have?"

"Wasn't a window supposed to appear to me with my information outlined in it?"

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

Athena and Anemus stared at each other for a few seconds, one not understanding what the other was saying.

Anemus spread her golden wings, which had not been there before, and pulled Athena by the ear back into the bedroom. In the bedroom, behind the head of the bed, an altar was set up with sealed scrolls and a large mirror.

"What is it?"

"It's a mirror of the soul." Anemus responded with exhaustion in her voice and then explained. "Here, take a scroll and look in the mirror while concentrating mana on the scroll."

Athena took the parchment and trying to do as Anemus said, looked into the mirror that reflected a young woman.

She looked about twenty at most and she was beautiful. Her face was small and perfect, with her big green eyes, pink lips, sharp nose and her almost white blond hair reaching to her ass. Athena saw herself as her dream woman and was beginning to want to kiss.

"What are you doing?" Anemus asked with a disgusted expression to Athena that was about to kiss the mirror.

"N-no, nothing…" Athena replied, embarrassed.

"Just do it soon."

Athena looked into the mirror again and seconds later. "Anemus."

"What?"

"How do you use mana?"

Anemus couldn't believe what she had just heard. It was not possible that the master she had been waiting for had become a potato. She refused to accept it, so she refused to teach Athena about mana, got into bed, and went back to sleep.

"Anemus, sorry! I'll try harder, help me!"

"No! Hades would have figured it out for himself!"

"Fotiá help me convince Anemus?" Athena asked the little girl to watch everything without saying anything.

"No... Athena won't keep her promise." Fotiá said sulkily.

"But I can't take you hunting if I don't know how to use mana and spells..." Athena said, feigning sadness.

Fotiá innocently looked at Athena's face and ran to her master. "Athena, Athena, don't cry? Fotiá will help Athena! Athena don't cry?"

Athena's heart ached for deceiving Fotiá, but it was a necessary evil. So Athena and Fotiá called and shook Anemus.

"Aaaaaaah!!! Enough, you two, enough! Okay, I'll teach!" Anemus said in resignation.

Athena and Fotiá embraced in celebration and the two sat on the floor in front of Anemus on the bed.

"First, but it's an energy that every living being has, with the exception of common monsters. This energy comes from the being's soul and that's why some are born with a lot and others with a little."

"What about magic?" Athena asked with her eyes shining.

"C-calm down, I'll get there now. A human's mana can develop in two ways as that person lives. For example, if a man grows by increasing intelligence and information, he will be able to use magic because his mana will become magical power. Some species like elves, nymphs, fairies and etc... will be born with natural magical power and therefore tend to become wizards."

Athena listened attentively, not missing a word, while Fotiá began to yawn with sleep.

"Wait! But Hades was a high-human."

Anemus looked at Athena with some loneliness. "Yes, he was... High-humans have a good affinity for magic too." Anemus said, the longing was audible in her voice. "But anyway, if he grows up doing work that requires physical effort, the mana will become martial energy and instead of magic, the person will be able to use skills."

"Right, but I still don't understand how I use mana." Athena said with a complicated expression.

"Calm down, I'll get to that part. Now how does magic power create magic???"

"Ah! I know that much. Through magical power, the mana creates a phenomenon that needs a formula. The formula can be compound anywhere, even in your mind." Athena said excitedly.

This was information that was given as roleplay when choosing the wizard class in the game and she had read almost everything that was provided by the game.

Anemus looked at Athena with raised eyebrows. "I'm impressed."

"Hehe.."

"So what about skills?"

"That I don't know... I haven't chosen a class as Athena yet."

"Skills can be acquired in two ways. One is like spells, you can buy the learning scroll or train with a master and inherit his abilities. Another is to create your own skills which is a longer and more arduous path. Now back to basics, using mana. Even if your mana becomes magic power or martial energy, you can still use mana in its natural form."

Anemus jumped off the bed, landing on her tiptoes in front of Athena and taking the woman's hand.

"Close your eyes and feel the pulse of blood in your hand. Now imagine a river of mist running through your veins instead of blood. A bluish-white river flowing like smoke from a chimney and your hands are those chimneys."

Eyes closed, Athena concentrated on her hands and felt her pulse. Blood flowing from her fingers and back to her hands and then arms.

After getting a good picture of the blood, Athena replaced it with thick smoke and white as snow. While she imagined this, the image in Athena's mind was changing and the smoke became thin, fluid and azure blue and along with this image a warm and pleasant sensation appeared in her body.

Anemus watched Athena closely when she saw a haze like a sky blue vel cover Athena's entire body and then the vel diminish and stay only in her hands.

"That!" Anemus celebrated and Athena opened her eyes.

The energy escaping from her hands was as Anemus had said, smoke coming out of the chimney. A smile of excitement spread across Athena's beautiful face and she hugged Anemus.

"I did it, Anemus!"

"Of course! I taught you!" Anemus said, returning the hug. "Now go check your status."

Athena broke away from Anemus, picked up Fotiá who was sleeping on her thighs and placed her on the bed and then saw her status.

Athena's mana bathed the parchment and the mirror reflected the information from Athena's soul. Leaving her and Anemus openmouthed.

"Anemus..."

"..."

"...Is this right?"

"...."