Purity

Chapter Three

After fixing the table, we left my house and began to walk to the town hall. While we walked, we just talked about anything as we always do when we aren’t picking on each other. Passing the tree of purity, Lei jumps up into the tree using the low hanging branch for support.

“Hey! You coming or are you chicken Jaimie?!” yells Lei from halfway up the tree.

“I really don’t believe that’s a good idea,” I said worryingly, “Remember last time we- “

It happened again… Looking down at my own two feet, I saw Lei above my head. I don’t know how I could see her when I’m staring at my feet, but I did. Her foot slipped, and she lost her grip. She began to freefall from the tree.

“Lei!” I shouted as I moved into action on impulse. Just like at the house, no control over my body. It just moves on its own as if with

purpose. All I could think in my head was, “catch her, don’t let her hit the ground.” With swift movement that felt faster than a speeding bullet, I ran up the base of the tree, pushed my foot off the tree, and reached out my arms. I caught her in mid-air and landed on my own two feet without the slightest struggle. Shocked with myself I couldn’t find words.

“Jaimie how the hell did you do that?” whispers Lei concerningly.

“If I knew, I would tell you.” I reply also worried,” I don’t know what’s happening to me. But I got some weird mojo going on today.”

“Yea. Mojo. Whatever that was, Thanks for not letting me fall.” Said Lei in a grateful tone. “Asshole.”

“You got it, Bitch.” I chuckled back.

We walked into town hall where the mana studies are held every day. I saw my father in the front, teaching. He glanced over at me and snarled a “sit Down!” with only his lips. Hurriedly I obliged and took a seat as not to piss off my old man. If I could do whatever I did at the house, or the tree, I would run over to him and slap him before he ever saw a thing. Treating me like crap every day and not acknowledging that I’m his son. Shows his pride in his family, huh? The topic of discussion was how aligning your mana with you will enabled you to use magic at a stronger level. If you will and mana are aligned properly you could try to grow a flower, and in turn, rip the ground open and create a fully grown Oak tree with mana energy of its own. That’s how the tree of purity came to be, or at least that’s what everyone says. They say that King Eastwood was a cleric before a king, and he studied to become a Knight. After achieving the title of Knight, He came to Elvion, and the people were all mean and spiteful toward him. He said some mumbo-jumbo about the people all needing to be purified. Then with one swoop of his arms, he erupted the tree and named it the tree of purity. He continued to say a blessing of the gods unto the tree, and it began glowing a bright, golden hue. Then he left and all the people were somehow changed into pure spirited people who started studying the art of mana and became clerics. As my father starts explaining more detail about aligning your will to your mana, I begin to doze off. Slowly nodding away while thinking back to what happened at the tree, and the house. Was something actually happening to me? Did something get woken up inside me, how does it work, and so many more questions ran through my head while drifting into sleep.