Steel and Mana

Chapter 9 – Midnight Talks

My next meeting with Sasha happened that same night… and it resulted in a bit of… misunderstanding. You see, the maids made sure she was washed up, trimmed, and transformed from a bony, thin street urchin to a presentable lady. Now that her hair was clean, it was almost glowing in the color of fire. With proper clothes on, she looked human… and surprisingly beautiful. And… this is where the misunderstanding started. She thought it was done because she was being prepared for me…

The fact that she was led into my room at night further solidified this thought in her head, and when the maids left, she only looked at me once before closing her eyes. I was standing on my balcony, enjoying the cool air and looking at the giant moon in the sky, when I heard her starting to strip. Looking back, I was surprised to see her standing there, naked, trying hard to not cover herself.

"Let's get this over with." She mumbled with gritted teeth.

"Sure!" I chuckled, walking in, letting my eyes feast on her naked body while I sat down in my armchair. "I didn't know you were a nudist, but oh well! Each to their own! I'm not complaining! Come, sit; we need to talk!"

I barely could hold back my laughs, seeing her shocked face, realizing I wasn't going to touch her or do anything to her.

“But… but… you…” She mumbled, turning just as red as my hair, hurriedly pulling the clothes up and starting to cover herself.

"You were cleaned because you stank!" I articulated the fact plainly and clearly, "You looked like you were taking a bath in the mud instead of water, for crying out loud! I can't have you stinking up my room, can I?!"

“B-b-b… Bu…” She stammered, unable to speak as multiple things hurt her at once. But that was the truth.

"Also…" Turning a bit more serious, I continued, "I have basic principles! I may be dreaming and imagining perverted things in my mind right now, but I wouldn't act on them!"

"So you did think about it!" She complained, which… was weird, given the situation.

"Of course I did!" I grinned, "I am a healthy young man, and you were stripping before me! Hell yeah, I did imagine things! But I am not a monster. I only indulge myself if it is permitted. Otherwise, I can show restraint. Now… Sit. Please!"

"..." She walked closer in the end, finally taking her seat, looking at me but avoiding my direct eye contact. "You could have still done it…"

"I'm more aroused if my partner is moaning in pleasure and just as active as I am! I'm not into fucking a wet sponge, thank you very much! Tears make me sad and not aroused!"

"I guess having so many experiences made you know that?" She asked sarcastically.

"I'm still a virgin. I was simply raised well." I answered honestly. Well… I was a virgin in this body, for now. "Okay, we talked about spicy things; it's time to switch it up! As much as I find you exotic and sexy, even in your emaciated state, we have bigger things on our plates!"

Before she could interrupt with something unrelated again, I explained my plans to her as clearly as possible. I showed her objectives, ideas, and finally, what I was really interested in: my first magic circle design. It was made through the past few years, constantly adding to it. In reality, I had no big hopes for it to work. It was as if someone tried to paint a picture with closed eyes. I needed Sasha to be my eyes in the future, so I know what I am doing!

"What's this?" She asked, taking over the parchment and looking at it.

"Haah…" I groaned, fearing her answer. "A magic formation I made. I have been studying basic magic to the best of my abilities. I am not magical, as I said, but I learned some entry-level theoretical stuff, and with my understanding of nature and how magic operates, I came up with this! I just don't know how stable or usable it is!"

"And… why should I know? I told you, I was never trained!"

"I thought you may get a feeling from it? Looking at it, activating some… innate connection? Or something! There's nothing?" I asked dejectedly. "Really? Not even a little bit? Some tingling or whatever?"

"Tingling? I don't know… This is the first time I see something like this." She mumbled, focusing on it, flipping it up and down in her hands.

"Try… using your mana? Maybe?" I asked, getting more anxious, but then it happened.

With a little bit of mana moving in her body, the parchment immediately reacted, bursting into flames. With a loud pop, it was gone, ash falling into her lap while nothing remained between her fingers.

"Ah!" She gasped, finally reacting, "I didn't mean to!"

"Great!" I laughed, a boulder falling from my heart, "This was exactly what I wanted!"

"It was?" She blinked her eyes, thinking she was mishearing me.

"Yeah! I was trying to make fire! Well, it could be better; my intentions were to create a feedback loop that would transform the paper into a fireball that remains stable. Using the parchment's basic energy conversion to the initial ignition and then drawing oxygen in to maintain the flow. Of course, it would only be stable until it was fed with more energy to maintain its form… but if I can perfect it, I am sure to build a perfect loop so no outside interference is needed, and once it's on, it remains on perpetually! Hehehe, I know that is really far away, but-"

"What the nine hells are you on about?" She asked, looking at me weirdly.

"Ah! Sorry, sorry… nothing! I'm just happy!"

"Happy of what? Of a paper going up in flames?"

"Exactly! Don't you get it? Flames! Magic! It worked, made by someone who doesn't know magic! Flames are symbolic, anyway! I will be Prometheus!"

"Huh? Aren't you named Leon?"

"It's from the myth! The one who brought fire down from the gods, giving it to men!"

"Never heard of it." She replied at once, "I never want to hear about it either! The church can go to hell!"

"It's not a church tale. I don't think they would even approve it!" I chuckled as I don't think anyone knows that tale here.

"Then I'm interested!" She switched her stance at once, looking at me with a surprisingly youthful light. "So? Who is this Promete guy?"

"Prometheus. He stole fire from the gods, brought it down to men, and taught them to use it! For his sins, he was punished, of course, tied out to a rock so birds tear him to pieces, pluck out his eyes, eat his liver, and all that… being an immortal, he always regenerated by the next day just so it could repeat it again."

"The bastards!" Sasha cursed suddenly, and I could feel it… she really, REALLY hated the church and probably all authority. I will have to keep an eye on that, as such suppressed rage could cause big problems if I let it fester. "What happened to the humans?"

"Progress. They started to evolve." I continued nonchalantly, "His tale is about progress. Standing against the forces of nature. He has given humanity the gifts of fire and hope! Hope helps humans struggle for a better future while fire, as the source of technology, makes success in that struggle a possibility! To rise above all challenges and even to face gods!"

“I like this Promete… Promeus… Prometheus guy!”

"Hehehe, good~! I want to do the same! As I have shown you, I will build my own place with things that will make living fun and enjoyable! That is the hope part. The second will be fire." I pointed at the ashes on the floor and in her lap, "I will bring fire, in our case, magic to the normal people!"

"What if they grab you too, tying you to a rock and killing you repeatedly?" She asked, watching my eyes, and when answering, I never blinked.

"A risk I am willing to take. If all goes right, I will have the power to resist it… I do not intend to go down without a fight!"

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